Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-19
BY J. ED GRILLO.

Sixth place will not be the stopping
point OF the Nationals. The team pro-
poses to get higher up, and If the kind OF
ball that has been furnished by it during
the present home series is continued there
is no doubt that several other teams will
be found trailing behind Washington be-
fore the season is much older.
Primarily the trouble with the Nation
ais this spring was disordered pitching
staff but since this has been whipped
into shape the twirlers have shown really
splendid form, and with the acquisition
of several victories that confidence which
losing team is sure to lack has been in
stilled into the Nationals. It's a real
ball team now, and one which is not
going to serve as a door-mat for any
team in the league. The pity it is that
the start was SO poor, or 1t would be pa
rading in the first division right now.
From McAleer down every man on the
team has grown ambitious. That winning
streak has made a lot of difference in the
players. They want to finish well up in
the race and feel confident that they can
do 1t.
II am not making predictions. but We
are going along nicely now, and l even
look for an Improvement. said McAleer
this morning. "A few more victories and
we will be right in the race, and / am
sure that we will get the games We need.
for we are not an easy club to beat"
But for the unfortunate muffs by KILL
fer and Gessler. Bob Groom would have
scored shut-out over the Maps. notwith-
standing the fact that they made eleven
hits off his delivery. Groom pitched a
splendid game of ball and in some re-
spects one of the best games he has work.
ed in since becoming member of the
team. The very fact that he neither
xx-aIC oil hit a ms this HQrpfO-
fore Grooms trouble has been his lack of
control. but yesterday it was perfect. 1t
can readily be seen what would have hap
pened had Groom given several bases on
balls, for there was but one inning in
which the visitors failed to get hit. 1t
was Groom'S control that made his per-
Torrance a creditable one. Furthermore
his every action on the rubber seemed to
than ever before. He did not give the
base runners quite much attention as
usual and fielded his position well. Groom
Is going to pitch good ball this year If the
impressive manner in which he has start
ell counts for anything.
Have you noticed the timid manner in
which second basemen on the local
grounds go after ground balls? The rea-
son for this is the sun which late in the
afternoon throws its rays right over the
stand into the second baseman's eyes.
Lajoie complained about 1t yesterday,
when he SAID second base on the local
grounds was the worst place in the league
to play, and Schaefer emphasized this
the following:
1T is utterly impossible for any one to
play good game at second on the local
grounds. If the ball Is hit up you can't
see il half the time. and with the sun in
your eyes nearly all the time you get SO
that you can't see a grOunder until 1t Is
right on top of You. That naturally makes
a fellow timid and interferes not only with
f;alI h,,f with hia hiring
do hope when they build the new grounds
here that they will shift the infield so that
the sun won't be in the eyes of any of the
infielders.
Impre ssiye as is this Cleveland team on
paper, there is something about it in ac-
ton that leads to the belief that 1t will
never cut a serious figure in the race. In
/ the four games here the Maps scored but
| six runs. which Is not enough TO win
ball games, and Yet the hitting ability of
most of the members of that team eX-
cells that OF the locals. Mcclure has his
team hustling, too. Every man is APP
/ parently trying TO do his best, and it
must be said that there was no evidence
of individual playing. Team work could
| be seen repeatedly, though there was
not single occasion that the hit and
run game was worked successfully in
| any of the four games This play used
! to be q hobby with the Cleveland players.
and for a time was responsible for the
| poor batting OF la1Ole, VINO because Oh
| the hit and run was constantly compelled
to hit at poorly pitched balls. There does
not appear to be anything to fear from
the Maps. They will have the good
| streaks now and then. but as whole
| the team should not cut much figure In
the race.
The double umpire system would be
| even moro successful If the men with the
most experience were kept behind the
bat in every game. This system of alter
mating does not give satisfaction for the
| reason that only too often is an incom-
petent judge of balls and strikes station.
ed behind the catcher. There should be
one umpire in chief, who should be in
charge of the game every day. instead
| of being in command one day and a sub
ordinate the next. Better results woulC
be obtained in this way, and incidentally
the assistant umpire would become III
expert on base decisions.
There is perhaps no team in the league
hampcred less by complicated system
OF signs than tpe Nationals. There are