Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-04
WITH PITCHERS IN SHAPE
TIGERS SHOULD MAKE GOOD
Present Form Displayed by Willett and
Works Is Cause for Elation in
Detroit Stronghold.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
| LINCOLN, Neb., April 4.-The excel
lent showing Of those veteran Detroit
pitchers, Willett and Works. who first
were called on to go the regulation number
Of innings, ought to encourage greatly
both the management and the fans. Will
lett, who was called on for the long
route at Dallas, showed as good form
against the Texas LeaGuers as though 1t
had been midsummer, allowing but five
hits and smearing the opposing team
with q coat Of whitewash. 1t was not
luck that enabled Edgar to go through,
either. He had curve ball that was
wonder and better control than was his
normal last season.
| Much depends on "Vic'' this season. In
fact, it might be said almost that the
Tigers pennant chances hinge on his
having a good year. Mullin already has
manifested that he will be right, and
Bill Donovan has shown unusually PROM
Using indication for So early in the
spring Bill is never ready, however,
| until the days begin to get warm, and
| 1t is up to the other veterans to give the
club start that Wild Bills work will
count for something when he begins to
| take his turn on the mound.
| Summers, who went home ill after a
few days in Monroe and q short time on
the road with the second club, can't be
figured on at present. 1t may be that
the Ladoga curver will report as strong
as ever he was when the main guard
reaches Indianapolis, but this looks doubt
full. Unless he makes an unusually quick
recovery, he is likely to be weak at the
start of the season. and it is a cinch
that Jennings will not take any chances
of working him before he is all ready
flor the grueling championship games.
Up to Willett and Mullin.
This makes it look as though it would
be up to Willett and Mullin, together
with some of the young pitchers, to
make good in the first few weeks Of the
season, when the Tigers need at least
a decent start If they hope to be in the
fight for the flag.
Mullins ability to pitch great ball in
cold weather is proverbiai Year after
year, when nobody else has been able
to make more than q fair showing, the
Maumee lad has gone in and kept the
club from sinking out of sight. At times
he has been forced to bear the burden
almost single handed. but he never has
failed. Therefore, we aren't going to
worry much about George.
With Willett there has been less con-
| fidence when it comes to matter OF toll
| ing In snowstorms. Edgar is a wonder
| he lacks Mullins consistency in being
| good most of the time. In the writer's
| humble opinion, this same Edgar Wtllett
| is potentially the equal of any slabman
alive, and this doesn't bar Mathewson nor
Walter Johnson. This is to say that were
| the big Kansan able to concentrate all
his ability and apply his natural pitching
talents along the proper lines he would
DO the greatest Of the great. The trouble
has been with Edgar that he never has
done himself justice. Either he has been
| foolinR with lot of new curves and fade
| Always and spitters that ne never ought
Some day the large boy Is going to come
| into his own, he Is going to be able to
| get the ball over the plate when he wants
to and then-please help the poor OPP
| posing teams.
Big Edgar Showing Form.
Already this year Willett has been
showing so much pitching ability that 1t
| looks like a cinch that he should be
| working shoulder to shoulder with George
Mullin in the early days of the race. With
| these two at their best the Tigers ought
| to be out in front in two weeks from
April IL, for the other Detroit youngsters
are likely to be in as good shape as the
! Juveniles of any other club, making it a
stand-off when everybody is depending on
| new talent.
| Not to be outdone by Willett Ralph
Works pitched q game of ball in Fort
Worth that was as good as any that
ever the lanky boy got out of his system.
| It would be said without hesitation that
it was the best effort of the young law
yer's base ball life. but for the fact that
he was working against minor league
club, which isn't a fair test of a major
league curver's caliber at all times. :
For ten innings the Texans were I'M
| able to get a run off him, and only
through his own error in the eleventh
| were they given the run that Won the
| ball game. Ralph was trying this time.
something that he doesn't always do in
exhibition contests-a fact that does him
| no particular credit. Somehow the tall
| lad got the idea that he wasn't appre-
ciated by the Tigers and that he would
| like to go somewhere else. When some
| one took the trouble to point out that
II he went away from Detroit at all 1t
probably would be to the minors. Ralph
bucked up and decided that the City of
the Straits wasn't such a bad place to
things more seriously. and he looks like
he might make good all the predictions
Of his friends.
Certainly it took Ralph long enough to
round into form. At Monroe he showed
| absolutely nothing but a good appetite
| and some striking effects in cravats and
| tall linen collars. Only for the faith that
| Jennings had in his ultimate ability to
get going Works probably would have
decorated the list OF gentlemen slated
| for the festive tinware. Now he is justi-
| flying the confidence imposed in him by
the manager. II Ralph can pitch the sort
| Of ball when the season opens that he
dung against Fort Worth another bit OK