Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-12
COMMENT ON THE GAME.

The New Yorks made it five straight
over the Nationals with yesterday VIII,
and the agony is almost over for the iocai
fans Manager Cantillon gave it out last
night that this week would end up MS eX-
perimenting and when the Nationals re-
turn home they will play real base ball
and continue il until the end of the season
He has a good line on all the men he Will
hang on to next season and is satisfied
Cantillon said he had given warning TO
Managers Jones. Lajoie, Jennings and
Mack that he would play no favorites and
that he would put the strongest team he
could muster against each aggregation as
it appeared here. With Clymer and o Brlen
back in the game and Smith, Johnson,
Gehring and Falkenberg going good in rota-
ton. the Nationals may have great deal
to say as to which of the leading teams
shall win the pennant.
Mcdonald the young twirler secured from
Erie has butted into a hard piece OF luck
in having his pitching arm injured just bad
enough to prevent his working here this
fall. The first day he came here he was
hit tremendous lick on the elbow by a
batted ball and the arm was partially
pa raj wed for couple of hours. Mcdonald
/ thought it would come around all right
and would have pitched yesterday, but in
practice he found that he could not curve
the ball. He told Manager Cantillon he de-
sired to get a good start, and asked to be
let off. and the request was granted. NC
Donald will be sent home today, but Can
iiiioi Will ilOlu on 10 HllIl give Il
trial in the spring. Any pitcher who can
hold Pittsburg down to six hits and Cleve-
land to four. with third class support, is
certainly worth while looking over
The bad throw that Shipke pulled off
yesterday is liable to come to any infelder,
and can certainly be forgiven the little
fellow. he has been playing a great
fielding game since joining the Nationals.
Shipke has a very quick movement in
throwing to first. and this caused his down.
k.,1 l,
a bound out of the mud and was so slippery
that it flew from his hands and went
mile over Alters head and into the stand.
Manager Cantillon never turns down a
chance which he thinks might benefit the
Nationals. Manager Tommy Dowd decently
recommended young pitcher by the name
of Hodges of the Holyoke team, and spoke
iuently and persistently about his quail
ifcations that Cantillon told him to send
the youngster to New York today. So.
don't be surprised If you see "a pitcher by
the name of Hodges on the slab for the
Nationals against the New 1orks this
week.
There was some disposition to count the
Cleveland team out of the race. but the
Maps threaten to come back and make
things hum. good squirt could speedily
put them in the lead. and, If Lajoie has
got the quarrel between himself and his
men Strengthened out. II would be best not
to count the Cleveland team out of the rum
ming just yet. The Maps are erratic, but
when they playing together they are a
mighty dangerous combination. especially
as they likely to develop batting rally
at any stage.
Horace Fogel. in the Philadelphia Tele-
graph. saws: The success of Washington
and Boston, however only emphasizes the
uncertainty of such race as that now
under way in the American League This
season there are more tail-enderS In this
organization than before-that is clubs
which at th; stage of the race hope
lessly mired in the second division. Never
theleSs. the tail-enders always dan
gerOHs. They have the habit of trouncing
the leaders lust when the latter are in sore
need of a few more victories to hold their
position or to climb peg or two in the
race. The American League always
noted for not having any easy marks. and
il Is seldom that team has soft snap
with another. As a rule the Athletics have
always found the Washington team rather
easy this being somewhat of an exception.
The reason for this is probably because
Manager Mack figures that a game won
from Washington is Just as valuable in the
long run gathered in from pen
nant aSpirant. He. therefore puts In his
strongest force against the Nationals and
his men play Just as hard against them
against the other teams. That has been
proven to be good policy in other cam
paignS and will doubtless be kept up when
the Athletics have number of games with
Washington. including some that were post
poned early In the season"