Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-20
BY ]. ED GRILLO.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
ST. LOUIS. June 2O-With splendid
clean-cut victory the Nationals yesterda!
closed their first western trip of the sea
son. which has been one of the most sue
cessful in the history of the team. Four
teen games have been played against th'
western teams, and seven of them nave
been victories.
Counting the four games played in Ne"
York before the team came west, the
games now stand eight won and ten lost
a showing of which any team might vel
be proud.
Before the team returns to its own
stamping grounds it must play five games
in Boston, and there is good chance
for II to take three out of these hve,
providing the good work which McAleer
men have shown in majority of their
games since leaving home continues
Yesterdays victory was made possible
nv Walter JohnsOn'S good pitching. OF
six innings he did not allow anything
that resembled hit, but in the seVenth
q couple of scratch hits netted tne broMns
a run The big pitcher was IN nne IorEi'
and as inning after inning rolled oy Win
out the Browns getting base nit, tne
crowd began to yell at McAieer 10 tame
Johnson out and give the Browns
hurried the game along. He pitched
without any hestating or posing, ana
his terrific speed had the locals stanolhs
on their heads, fguratively speaking.
Lake. too. was effective out the Nat,oh hits
we're fortunate enough to get their hlts
at the right time.
No PLAYER on the team deserves more
credit for the good showing the Nationals
have made on the trip than George NC
Bride He has played his usuaI erano
defensive game. and in ADDITION 10 TINS
has been the most timely hitter the Ma
tionals can boast OF. he was ;ne Re. az.
inning which scored two runs. sit mas
been so in almost every game the Team
has won Whenever a hit was neeoeo
and Mcbride was up ne mas oenVeIeo
and that too Notwithstanding his reputa-
ton of not being able to nit win an
average that does not look very attrac-
tive. Mcbride has been the best hitter
on the trip because he has made ms hlts
count for runs =
The Gessler-Unglaub combination again
failed to do anything effective YESTERDAY
with the stick. Both OF these piayeIs
are taking their batting slump, very much
to heart 1t is of course only question
of time when they will strike their strioe
and when they do many more games VIII
be won The present trip has: Deen
successful one and that without the. pat
ting aid of the teams two supposed best
hitters Gessler and Unglaub, a showing
which is most remarkable.
Had it not been for the threatening
weather there would have been an I'M
mense crowd out yesterday. but 1t looked
like rain all day, and only 1000 ventured
out to the park.
Though ne has no reason to feel dis
couraeed. for his team has made much
better showing this year than at any
time during recent years, yet McAleer is
ambitious to give Washington the best
ball team possible. He realizes that as
the league is now made up 1t Is not
difficult matter to get first DIVISION
team il he can be lucky enough to pick
up few hard-hitting youngsters. Bat
ting strength is what the Nationals lack.
and McAleer proposes to leave nothing
undone to better this condition. The
search for ball players is going to be an
expensive one. There is hardly day
passes that McAleer does not receive a
dozen tips by mail or wire on ball players
in different sections of the country. He
does not propose TO take any chances OF
overlooking good man by simply ignor-
ing these tips, so he has his scouts go
other to look these players over. Most
of them of course. are passed up. but
rather than take a chance OF overlooking
a single man, he is having every tip in
veStigated.
No club started its scouting earlier than
the Nationals this year. and 1t will be
continued until fall. We must compete
with the other fifteen major league clubs
for material, and We must therefore not
said McAleer. las / have said before, it