Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-07
CUNNINGHAM APPEARS TO
HAVE STRUCK HIS STRIDE
Younqster Gives Best Exhibition With Bat Of
the Year-Johnson Far From Right
Gessler and First Base.

change for tho better soon MoAleer VIII
go west poorly fortified to make much Of
a showing there.
Tom Hughes has placed himself under
the care Of an osteopath, and Will not Join
the team until It reaches Cleveland He
expects by that time to be ready to take
his regular turn on the rubber. There Is
q hgament out Of place in his right
not DO able to do good work.
It Is noticeable that Walter Johnson
has not the speed this spring that made
him the marvellous 9ttcssr in former
campaigns As a result s.rtke-outs are
not az numerous. and his whole style Of
pitching has been changed. Where Joths
son would not pitch more than two or
three curve balls during a game when he
was at his best. he is curving almost
every other one now, besides resorting to
q change OF pace frequently. But that
speed with which the ball fairly hoped
over the plate is sadly missing, and I'M
I'll It returns johnson will not go through
ball games as he did in former seasons
There is nothing wrong with Johnson's
arm. It is perfectly sound and probably
stronger than ever. but his physical con-
dition is poor. On the recent trip he lost
ten pounds IN weight. and the natural eff
rect OF this Is that he IL weak. He is on
the mend now, however. and should grad
ually improve.
Collins homo run had a whole lot Of
luck attached to It. It was a clean hit
liner to left center. which ordinarily would
have been held to a single Milan in
cutting across to intercept it. stumbled
and the ball got by him, rolling to the
fence Collins. who can go around the
business, made q great sprint and was
across the rubber before Conroy could
relay the ball to the plate
Collins. Baker. Davis and Murphy make
q dangerous quartet to follow each other
In the batting order. It Is impossible for
pitcher to pass any one Of them in a
pinch. for the succeeding batter is as
oangerous as any one Of them. Collins
and Baker are a wonderful pair Of hitters.
They worry most any pitcher and most
Of the Athletics games are won by what
these four accomplish with the bat.
1t is perhaps fortunate that Connie
Mack was not on the bench for he might
have taken Russell out after the second
inning, and 1t would probably not have
been so easy to get runs Off Of one Of the
other twirlers. Russell. by the way. did
not look impressive and IL Connie Mack
paid $4,000 for him. which he didn't, 1t
looks very much as IL he made a poor
bargain. Just at present Russell looks
Ike the weakest member of Mach's pitch
Ing stan, and i IL safe to say that he
will not be used regularly 30 long az the
others arc going good.
It was decidedly fortunate for the Ma
tionals to have tho two line hits which
Collins and McInnes drove out in the
ninth go right into the hands Of Gessler
and Elberfeld. respectively. Had either OF
these hits gotten by the game would have
been lost Gessler did not have to move
an inch for Collins drive, but McInnes
ball curved considerably ana Elberfeld
was lucky to knock 1t down. He Just had
time to get to third with It and force
Baker.
A pitcher has to 80 at top speed the
letics. It does not pay to loaf against
Mack's men, even though they are many
runs behind, for once they start to hit 1t
Is no easy matter to check them There
Is not a man in the lineup who Is not
dangerous with the bat and this is par
ticularly true with McInnes covering short
instead of Barry. This spring the cham
pions have been doing most Of their hit
ting together. All they need is to start
on q pitcher and they seem able to make
him call for help before an inning L. over
H. e. Sands. a 14th street restaur-
auteur, Is going to give q banquet to
the member OF the local team who makes
the most hits until September q, in
elusive. 1t Is to be for the player 40
cnmplshing this feat and ten OF his
friends.
II opposing teams continue to pitch
ieft-handers against the Nationals the
time will not be far of when the south
paws will have no terrors for McAieer's
men, There Is no doubt that oven left
handed hitters become accustomed to tho
2oontinusd "a third faga)