The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-27
Millers Show Better Form liz the
Series at Milwaukee Some
Good Hitting.
St. Paul Is Playing the Best Ball
in the League Just at
Present.

edge is taken of the performance by the
fact that Hale who had lost his game the
day before, was on the slab for the brew
ers. Nevertheless 1t Is good to see hitting
under any conditions, after the way KEEL
lum and McPartlin toyed with the bunch
at indianapolis. Il ~ E.a3
II the millers take the odd game at Kan
sas City, they will have made a record OF
nine victories and ten defeats on the road,
which is a creditable showing. And there
is no reason why they shouldn't get the
long end Of the series. no any one not
acquainted with baseball 1t would seem
like pipe to beat the blues after down.
ing the brewers, but the beauty Of the
game is that you can never tell until it Is
| over.
Next week the team VIII be at home
again, and will open with ST. Paul Tues
day at Nicollet park. Wednesdays game
also will be at Nicollet, but Thursdays,
originally scheduled for Minneapolis, has
been transferred to Lexington. In ex-
change for this game, st. Paul gives Min
neapolis the morning contest on the
Fourth. The millers should at least
break even with Kelly's men, for altho st.
Paul is leader in the percentage column,
Minneapolis always puts up a tougher
game against the men down the river than
against any one else. After the saints
will come Kansas City and Milwaukee,
and then the eastern teams open up anoth-.
er series. Altogether the rnillers will have
twenty-one games at home before leaving
on their next trip. This should enable
them to clnch a hold on fourth place, and
get In position for an attack on the three
leaders, who for a long time have been
training in class by themselves, so far
as the percentage column shows.
The teams batting should show i'm
provenlent when the men get on their own
corner lot again, and the fielding also
is due to improve when regular morning
practice begins once more. The pitching
has been generally good on the trip, but
the addition of Baker should strengthen
the team in this department. Whether or
not the new man proves to have the goods
it would pay to keep him for awhile,
if only as an emergency man: With only
three twirlers 1t is doubly hard on the
me who one Of them is batted hard and
it seems advisable to take him out. A
fourth man, even tho he Is not real
live one, is worth his salary simply to
save the others from overwork.
If Baker should turn out to be first
class man, however, the millers would be
on East street, for Stimmel, Vasbinder
and Thomas are all pitching great ball,
and the only point In which the staff has
BEEN inferior to any Of the others in the
League Is that of numbers. Stimnel is a
weak batter and Is not active in fielding
his position, but it is a rare occasion
when his opponents get more than five or
six hits off him.
| Vasbinder rs doing good work also, and
! young Thomas is getting better every
day q What the team would have been
had }Wflmot not happened to corral the
Pike county lad is horrible to think Of
Thomas seems to have everything d win
ming pitcher should have-speed, control,
an iron nerve, and a willing spirit. A
fourth man would make the twirling
| bunch the best in the league, and with
/ the fielding and batting which it is rea-
sonable to expect, the team should win
two thirds of its games right along.
! Strange to say, Milwaukee and ST..
/ Paul, playing on the road during the last
three weeks, have done better than In
dianapolis. playing at home. The saints
especially are cutting a wide swath, and
have nearly distanced the Indians. If
! Kelly's men can get the long. end Of the
series at Milwaukee, they will be nearly
! sure|to jump into first place shortly after
coming home. Kelly certainly has a won
derfully fast team, unquestionably the
best that ever represented st. Paul and it
| is strange that the fans have not pat
ronized the games better The only
| doubtful point is the pitching staff, and
| Volz and Stewart are delivering the goods
! just now. OF Chech and Ferguson there
| Is no question.
st. Paul managed to win nine out OF
| fifteen games on its eastern trip, while
| Milwaukee lost nine out Of sixteen. That
is not record which indicates Milwau-
KEGS right to remain at the head Of the
percentage column. Indianapolis and St.
Paul both look good to beat out the brew
ers. It must be remembered that Mil
| waukee took seven out Of their first eight
! games with the millers, at time when
the latter were SO badly demoralized. ST.
Paul struck Minneapolis just when the
\ latter team was rounding to, and Indian
apolis came along when Yeager's men had
struck their gait and were going forty
! mile clip. But for this advantage gained
! at the start, Milwaukee probably would
have been in third place now.
] Again, the club that makes the pace at
| the beginning of the season is rarely the
! one which finishes In front. The only in
stances on record are such as those of
| Brooklyn IN 1899, and Pittsburg in 1902,
/ when the pennant winners were able to
take the lead at the start and retain It
| until the finish, because they outclassed
the other teams in the league. The lead
ers are always the target Of all their OPP
i ponents, and even the weakest teams
make special effort to pull them down.
The strain Of retaining first place in a
| srue1ing usually results in the club s
weakening at the finish.
i For this same reason. 1t is hardly likely
i that New York will capture the National
league pennant. Strange as 1t may seem
/ Pittsburg's chances to win would have
i been better had she remained In third
place two or three weeks longer. While
New York and Chicago were fighting for
the: honors, the pirates were jogging along
comfortably, secure In the consciousness
Of their strength, and not doubling their
ability to win out at the finish. Their
squirt would have been more effective had
1t started just about this time instead 81
before.
i Already the New York team shows signs
\ Of falling nerve, and the Gotham. sport
ing writer's are complaining that the team
is not playing the half Of which the men
slare capable Hints Of a toboggan ride
are common, and 1t will take little tc
start the anvil chorus In full swing. New
4 York will hardly drop much I0werlti,an I,