Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-01
COMMUTERS SNATCH VICTORY
OUT OF DEFEAT
OVERCOME LEAD OF LOCALS IN
EIGHTH INNING
Wheeler Sent Into the Box to Pitch
When Other TwIrers Are Kept
on the Bench and Proves
Easy Mark
COAST LEAGUE STANDING
AnoeIs 3, Commuters 8

The article of ball that the Angels
are putting up at the Chutes this trip
home is not the kind that causes much
enthusiasm. 1t has gone beyond the
stage where excuses are accepted and
1t is evident that there is something
radically wrong with the team. They
lost to Oakland yesterday in the eighth
inning, after having lead of to
at that time This old system of being
outgamed and outplayed in the final
innings does not appeal to the fan at
all 1t is time for Hen Berry and cap
Dillon to do something real radical.
And, first dash out of the box, 1t might
not be a poor idea to enforce rule
requiring all players to be in bed not
later than sAu up every morning.
It also was decidedly poor exhibit
ton of judgment to put Wheeler in the
box Yesterday With half a dozen
other pitchers on the bench 1t is diff
cult to understand why a game should
be tossed away by putting Wheeler
In the box. Just where he is entitled
to outrank the regular twirling stan
at this stage of the pennant race Is
difficult to understand. With any
other pitcher in the box yesterday the
result might have been different. Poor
Judgment in such matters and bush"
league baseball, such as has been dish
ed up for the loyal fans for the last
ten days, will kill off the high degree
of enthusiasm that now prevails and
when it is too lhte to help the box Of
flce 1t is probable that the team will
begin to win games. Then the man
agement will have to begin cam
paign to win back the fans.
~ Criticism Is Deserved
Loyalty to the home team does not
require that the fans should sit still
and keep their mouths shut. The loss
OF six straight games is sufficient to
justify mutterings that already can be
heard from the fans and proof that the
team is not improving is found in the
continued quitting exhibitions that
characterized their work last week at
bat and in the field. Instead of occu-
pying first place now, as they should
be doing, they are only four games
away from the cellar
The awful slump of the team in
every department OF the game since
the series with San Francisco closed
ten days ago is most remarkable and
1t has an explanation. The team now
Is playing the poorest game in the
league and there is no indication that
1t will improve. They have not that
old snap and ginger In their play that
won the pennants of other seasons, and
while they occasionally clout the ball
satisfactorily they fal Ito pieces in
pinch when hits are needed, when they
are on bases or when the opposition
runners are on bases. Quite in con-
trast with the form they showed all
season until ten days ago.
shakeup Is Necessary
That a shakeup is necessary goes
without saying. Something must be
done at once or the team will go north
in the cellar position rather than in
first place, where it belongs. No time
should be lost in making changes that
appear to be necessary. Among these
changes is that suggested in these
columns several times in the last week
that of switching Brashear, Bernard
and Oakes back to their regular posi-
tions. Brashear plays second base
nearly as well as does Bernard, but he
is like a fish on dry land when placed
in right field He does not know how
to field that positio-. and 1t Is an injus-
tlce to him and the team to keep him
thcre.
There also is a great lack in team
work and all the players have slumped
in their batting. The reason for all
this is hard to find, but it should be
found and remedied without delay.
The boys are playing like a lot Of
ScnOol boys ana young ones at that.
Few amateur games are played in this
portion of the state in which as many
as six and seven errors are made In
the series with Portland and in the
game yesterday the Angel players
acted as If they never knew what to
do, and the way they batted would
justify the suspicion that they never
had seen bat previous to these
games, while their base running stunts
have been so rank that the fans have
become disgusted.
Oaks Win in Eighth
Oakland won yesterday by finding
Wheeler at opportune times and be-
cause the Angels could not connect
with Dellar's curves. An even dozen
hits and three errors by the locals
gave Oakland six runs, while the An
gels made five safe connections with
Dellar's offering, although the help Of
tour errors by the Commuters could
not produce more than three runs
Los Angeles took the lead in the third
ming, scoring one. Oakland tied the
core in the fourth and went ahead in
heir part of the sixth. In this inning
he Angels evened up and in the sew
NTH again took the lead, the score
standing to 2. In the eighth Oak
land piled up four runs, due to four
nits, sacrifice and two dumb plays
by the Angels. The Angels could not
find Dellar after the seventh and the
game resulted In favor of Oakland by
the score of to g.
Following is the official score and
summary: