Evening star., 1911-05-30
cAea Appears to Be In Bad Way for Real Pitching Talent
WORK OF LOCAL PITCHERS
IS FAR BELOW STANDARD
None of Twirlers McAleer Used Against
Boston, Excepting Sherry, Made
Good Showing - Failure to
Back Up Proves Costly.
By J. ED GRILLO.

By J. ED GRILLo.
Pitching Of the kind that the five MEM
yesterday is not going to win many ball
games In this or any other league. First
1t was Walker and then Otey. Sherry.
the youngest man on the staff, took hold
where this pair left of and made by far
the best showing Of the afternoon. In
the second game Gray gave way to
Groom. but the improvement was slight,
and not enough to bring victory.
1t seems that there are but one or two
men on the Nationals staff who can
pitch an occasional good game, and none
OF them was used yesterday. Just what
the trouble is. unless it be lack of ability.
no one seems to know. Surely 1t cannot
be lack Of condition resulting from lack
of practice, for most of our pitchers
went into training at Hot Springs in
February, and here 1t is almost June and
they are not delivering. Perhaps they are
getting themselves ready for the winter
league, but If such is the case they should
find themselves drawing salary from some
other than the Washington club. 1t seems
strange that as soon as the other clubs
come to Washington they begin to fatten
their batting averages. Even the loWly
Browns stop the other fellows now and
then, but here none OF the pitchers. un-
less it be johnson or Hughes, seems able
to check his opponents.
One day 1t is lack Of control and the
next 1t is ineffectiveness Of some other
caliber, but the final result with most OF
the pitchers on the local team is just
about always the same. 1t is. then, not
to be wondered at that the Nationals
are making q desperate effort to land
In last place. No ball team can play
behind bush league pitching in fast COM
pany. Before you have a chance to win
the pitcher must hold the other fellows
down to some extent anyway. Once
team gets behind 1t Is no easy matter to
overcome the lead. Especially not for q
team like the Nationals.
Dixie Walker has pitched one good
game this year. He did this in Detroit
last week. but that performance must
have been quite different from the one
Of yesterday. Just when Dolly Gray
pitched game Of ball for which he de-
served credit memory does not recall
Groom is the same in and outer he has
always been and Otey appears to lack
everything that goes to make a success
full pitcher.
That second defeat can be directly at
tributed to Groom's failure 10 back up
plays. In the seventh Collins would
have been held at second base or been
thrown out at third had Groom backed
up as he should have done when the ball
was relayed to third and got by Conroy.
Collins scored on the error, when he
should have been stopped There Is
no excuse for a pitcher who has been
in this company for three seasons not to
back up these plays. Gray, too. failed
to back up plays and incidentally pre-
vented the score from being tied when
he failed to score in the fourth while
Milan was stealing.
The eastern end OF the American
League circuit outclasses the Nationals
won from them this season by the. locals.
1t was 80 last year and Ii Is SO this.
Boston has not the team 1t had a little
while back, but the team today Is SO far
ahead Of the Nationals that nothing but
a marvelously pitched game on the
locals part can bring them victory. That
outfield of the Red Sox is hardly second
to any in this league. unless II be that
Of the Tigers. Speaker. Hooper and
Lewis are cracking good trio. They
makes a combination which is hard to
beat.
What is more, there is a little Of dash
to the Boston team. once 1t gets under
n There The is no osns on the
contrast compared to the Nationals.
johnson will pitch the afternoon game
today. At any rate. that was McAleer's 3
plan yesterday, though he did not expect
to be forced to use up hve OF his pitchers
at that time. 50 that he may Switch and
use Johnson in the morning and then
bring Tom Hughes back again In the
afternoon.
For q young player, Of whom very Mt
pretty near being a man Of value. He
IS now playing second, and playing II
well. He appears to be a timely hitter,
and seems much more settled than he
was when he first played here in the
spring. Looks as II another mighty good
ball player has been picked up by John
I. Taylor.
Cunningham did good work with the
bat In the second game. hitting both
Pape and Collins hard. but. unfortunate
ly. he failed In the ninth, when he had
q chance to break up the game. Cunny
appears to be improving somewhat with
the bat. There Is one thing about him,
fiuky about his drives. They are always
sharp and clean. and travel some dis
tance.
To be out Of the game for q couple of
weeks does not appear to have the slight
est effect on Speakers batting. He
broke In last Saturday as q pinch hitter,
slamminE out q three-bagEer and he
was again very busy with the bat during
yesterdays matinee.
Umpire Perr1ne's judgment on ny balls
that were caught was excellent.
Charley Street is far from his best Jus.
now. The tWo-week lay-o6 as q result
Of an injury has left him soft and weak
and his work shows II. Considering the
fact that he has been out Of the game SO