Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21
DOING AS WELL
AS LAST YEAR THIS TIME
Teams Percentage But Little Below What
It Was Last May-Johnson's Illness
Is Severe Handicap.

killing the villain in the first act of
melodrama
The chances are that these new balls
are mixed up with the old ones, and
ference in the scores of games played
on the same day. No doubt the present
one-sided condition of the American
League race can be attributed to the
shipped west where the hard-hitting
Detroit club has been pummeling 1T all
spring, while the Eastern teams played
with the old ball Time will prove
absurd smuggling matches. and that the
game will be set back unless a change
of balls is made at once
On the whole. the Nationals have
scored about as. many runs as their
batting strength entities them to, but
the pitching has not been up to the
standard needed here, and the result
has been numerous defeats.
The only chance that Washington ever
had to be prominent in the present race
was to have pitching staff which could
battle the opposition and hold 1t to a
to average three runs to a game. hence
1t is easily seen that In order to win
the bulk of the burden fell on the
shoulders Of the pitchers When they
collapsed. which they did when johnson
went the sick list, the bottom fell
out Of the teams chances. and unless
there is a decided brace on the part
of the twirlers there is no chance for
an improved state Of affairs.
1t is doubtful If there ever was an
other instance where team depended
much on it's pitchers and got so
little from them. Right now there is
not a man on McAleer's staff who can
pitch good game of ball. Some OF
them go along for few innings and
then collapse. or they start so poorly
that the game Is lost before a few in
nings are played With a team like
Detroit behind such pitching lot Of
games might be won. for there would
be days on which the Tigers would
drive a couple of pitchers to the well.
but the Nationals are not that kind
without f1rst-class twirling the
Nationals lave not chance. 1t is not
a we'll balanced team. for no team which
can be-
Last fall-and. in fact, for several
years-the Washington team had been
able to boast OF f1rst-class pitching stan.
but those days apparently are past for
among the pitchers today-barring John
son, and he Is sick-there does not ap-
pear to be q man the list who is
working up to major league standard.
The expected exodus Of young players
from the ajor leagues May Is. when the
rules provide every major league club
should get down to twenty-five men, has
not helped any of the weak teams. and
surely not the Nationals. The fact Of
the matter Is that few clubs carried over
the limit, and those that are just within
the rule evidently intend to hold on to
what they have. realizing the difficulty
they have experienced in picking up
promising youngsters. Every year the
task of trying to build up a winner be-
comes more difficult and 1t would proba
bly, bring about a better balanced league
If the rules were SO changed as to allow
certain date in May. Twenty players
would be sufficient for any team. That
would supply ample material for all
emergencies and at the same time
would give the weak teams chance to
strengthen with the material which the
well supplied clubs would not be allowed
to carry.
Under present conditions the scarcity
of players and the fact that the winning
team always needs less to keep it in first
class running order for several years at
least gives the weak team but little
chance to build up its fences.
When the eastern teams started west
1t was believed that every one OF them,
the Nationals not excepted, would better
their standing In the race during the In
vasion.
But results have proven Just the OPP
posite. The western clubs have not
proven easy by any means. Detroit has
virtually kept up its winning pace with
out a hitch, while Chicago. Cleveland
and even St Louis have shown better
against the eastern contingent than they
did against each other The western
teams found Detroit a much harder prob
lem than they have any Of the eastern
teams. and yet it was generally believed
that the eastern teams were much
Contiuued on Second PaEel