Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-02
BY J. GRILLo.


Ray Morgan will not be put into the
game as soon as he reports here. accord
ing to Manager McAleer. unless the team
should take slump. in which event the
experimenting will begin in earnest. But
SO long as. the team is going along as 1t
has recently there will be no changes
made in the lineup, for it has never been
considered good policy to break up a
winning combination.
Furthermore, McAleer wants Morgan to
have a chance to practice at second base,
for that is the spot he is intended for.
Having played short field all season, Nor
gan is apt not to be familiar with any
other position, and it would be a great
handicap to put him into the game with
out giving him a chance to practice in
his new position.
1t has never been the intention to turn
McBride's place over to the youngster.
Mcbride classes with the best shortstops
in the league, and is a consistent 80
hitter, which is considered very good for
a fast-tielding infielder But Morgan will
be given plenty of work to show what he
is made of before the season is over.
That is also true of the other youngsters
who have and are expected to report
later.
No better pitched game than that of
yesterday has been seen on the local
grounds this season, nor has there been
single instance this year when one of
the local twirlers has given as splendid a
performance as did Hughes
The veteran held the Maps in the palm
of his hand during the entire struggle.
once or twice there was a hard drive to
the outtield, which might have made trou-
bic had it evaded the fielders, but on the
whole Hughes was always master of the
situation Gregg, however, was not far
behind him. The premier pitcher of the
league. too, was in good FORM and but
for Kid Elberfeld'S three Dagger he and
Hughes might have battled into darkness
without run being scored.
Elberfeld hit the first ball pitched in the
fourth to deep right center and he was
planted at third before the ball could be
recovered by the intield. There was no
one out at the time, and when Gessler's
bounder got away from Stovall Elberfeld
scored the run which won the game.
Buck Becker, the local southpaw, will
pitch the first game of the doubie-header
today. 1t is most likely that Groom will
be used in the second game.
Four games in a is a new eXpe-
rience for the Nationals, and yet the
kind of ball the team has put up since 1t
returned from its western trip deserved
IldHH NlClOIlcS IL I1C<aicSi lIeIl tdii
keep up the present pace they will prove
stumbling blocks for all their rivals from
this out. There is perhaps no imme-
date danger of their leaving seventh
pace, for Cleveland is still leading by a
long margin, but contnuaticn of the
victorious streak will do much to sat
isfy the patrons Of the game here, while
ii may be the means of letting the Ma
tionals go higher in the race later on.
Aside from the improvement shown by
Z ha itch ar ha fa1yp iS MI ~
no better ball than il has earlier In the
season, but the pitching has been so
much better of late that it has been pos
sible to make a few runs win games.
1t took Tom Hughes all of three months
to gain his present form. Early in the
season the veteran was an in and outer
because of lack of condition of his pitch
ing arm, but with a siege of hot weather
he is as good as he ever was right now.
When Hughes is himself Cleveland has
never been able to beat him, and while
the Maps scored three victories over him
prior to the series just closed he made
amends by taking two of the four games
from them. There is whole lot of
pitching left in Hughes. His knowledge
of the art is such that even when his
arm is not at its best he always stands
d chance of winning.
While there is no question that Larry
Lajoie is one of the greatest ball players
the game has ever produced, 1t lS doubt
full if he has been valuable to the
Cleveland club as his ability should make
him. The big fellow does everything
with such ease and grace, and without
apparent effort, that some of the players
try to initiate his style but lacking the
ability. make an awful mess of it. That
list'essness which always characterizes
the Cleveland teams playing is attrib
uted to Lajoies presence. AS an indi-
vidual player Lajoie has few equals. but
he would be better off on team which
would hustle and would inject that spir-
ii in him instead of having the players
copy his apparent listless style of play.
Even those who can go back fifteen
years or more in Washington base ball
history cannot recall the time when the
Nationals have had as competent a first
baseman as, Herman Schaefer is proving
himself. Not only Is Germany playing a
splendid game on the bag. but he is one
of the fastest men on the team which he
leads in hitting. barring the average of
Dixie Walker. It is not going to be
an easy matter to find a man who can
take Schaefer's place on the team. Even
| IL he should be forced to give up first
base because of the acquisition of bet
ter man. there would have to be room
found somewhere in the lineup for Ger.