Evening star., 1912-07-11
BY J. ED GRILLo.

yesterday. It was display of gameness
and grit such as teams with pennant
chances only display. 1t proved that
Grif11th's team is never beaten until the
last man is out, and that it can arise to
any emergency. Few teams would have
made an effort to overcome the six-run
lead which the Maps gained In the, very
| opening inning.
That sort of a. handicap would be con-
sidered too much to overcome, and the
team under it would be satisfied to mere
ly get the game over. Not so with the
Nationals. From the time that they found
| themselves far In the rear they displayed
determination to gain the lead. No team
ever fought harder under such clrcum-
stances, and the final reward was a VIC
| tory.
That game proved the superiority of the
Nationals over Cleveland, and the worst
that can be expected is that the Maps Will
win one of the remaining two games.
Nor is that certain. Cleveland has a
mechanical bail team. 1t is blessed with
a. lot of good hitters and some fair pitch
ers. but it neither plays the game nor
displays any spirit. There is as much
difference between the Nationals and the
| Maps as there is between night and day.
To watch Cleveland play, explains why
| Washington is second In the race. Teams
| of the style of the Maps have no right in
| the first division.
Every time Carl Cashion gets a chance
to appear before a home audience he
looks little better After that first in
ming yesterday, when he forced in two
runs Cashion pitched brilliantly. He hal
fair control and plenty of stuff, and al
lowed but two hits during the SIX innings
that he was on the slab.
The day is not far off when Cashion
will be a great pitcher. 1t takes time to
educate a raw recruit as he was. but -.e
possesses lots of ability, end n time will
get control Of the ball, all lie now needs
to make him a winner.
| Cashion is favored by the fact that lie
has plenty Of nerve. He does not go sky
ward under any conditions. Few young
pitchers would have steadied down after
forcing two runs over the plate, as did
| Cashion yesterday.
| 1t would not be at ali surprising If the
Nationals equaled or broke their record
of seventeen straight victories, before
have now been annexed, and, with an
even break of luck, the remaining two
should be cornaled from the Maps. Fol-
lowing the Maps come the White OK
for three games Callahan's team went
down for four straight when the Nation
ais last met them, and 1t is doubtful If
that team is as well fortified now as it
was then. After Chicago come st. Louis
and Detroit in the order named, and If
these teams do not show marked i'm
iprovement over their last performance
against the locals there is nothing to
fear from them. Griffths team is now
playing Its best ball. 1t seems to have
returned to its best hitting form, while
its pitchers are all showing up we'll.
| Everything that Bob Groom handed up
! to the plate yesterday was hit safely.
1t was Just one of those freak instances
| then for which there is no explanation.
Groom may return to the rubber against
| the Maps today, and he will undoubtedly
show entirely different form.
| It was a great day for the Nationals
| In more ways than one. To win yester-
day after being apparently smothered by
| a first inning rally was enough to make
| the teams followers enthuse. but the
victory was most timely, for the reason
| that both Boston and the Athletics, the
| two teams which are considered the real
| contenders, were beaten, thus allowing
| the locals to gain considerably on both.
Boston is now not quite six games away.
1t may be that the victory Of the Browns
| over the leaders yesterday marks the be-
ginning of a slump which has been ex-
pected for the Red Sox for some time.
| Slumps come to all teams, and the Red
Sox have not encountered one this sea-
son. II there should be a period Of de-
| feats in store for the leaders it is not at
al unlikely that Grifflth's team will be
| leading the procession before it starts on
| Its next western trip.
Ray Morgan seems to have recovered
| his batting eye, and his stick very
| much in evidence yesterday, getting a
| double and a triple. both of which re-
| suited in runs being scored On his other
| two trips to the plate he struck out, but
| he had his healthy wallops on both oc-
| casions.
| 1t would seem good policy for an umpire
| whell he finds occasion to remove play
| er from the bench to do it in a manner
| which would carry with it that dignity
| which his position demands. There should
never be any occasion to bark at a
| player. for the order could be given in a
! more gentlemanly manner, and be every
| bit as effective.
| Jim Vaughn is quite a hitter for a
| pitcher. In every game he has been in
here he has hit hard, and yesterday he
did much to end the struggle in the
| NINTH when with Henry on he hit long
fly to right center. which Jackson
/ muffed after covering a lot of ground
on the drive. This muff sent Henry to
| third. from where he scored when
| Moeller singled to center. Vaughn was
wild during the two innings he worked,
walking four, but when ne did get the
! ball over 1t was not hit.
One does not appreciate the value of
|
watched the catchers Of other teams per-
form In series. Much of the strength
OF which the Nationals can boast comes
from the fact that Griffith has catchers
on whom 1t Is most difficult to steal. 1t
does not require much knowledge Of the
game to reahze what an advantage a
team has which prevents its opponents
from running bases. In this respect the
locals are better fortified than any of
their rivals. There are other good catch
ers in the league, but there is no other
OF whom can deliver the goods.
Milan game within inches of establish
ing a wonderful tase running record
In the eighth inning. He had stolen sec
o2d and third. and then made a dash for
home while Walker was at bat Walker.
however. took a swing at the ball and
popped up a foul. Had he allowed the
ball to pass him Milan would undoubt-
edly have been over the plate. for he
was so near 1t when Walker hit that he
bat Nap catchers have been easy pick
ing for Zeb. who has stolen five bases in
two days. and is now leading the base
runners by so good q margin that there
Is hardly a chance to catch him.
i Cleveland plays strictly straight game
OF base ball There is no display Of in
side ball and the mistakes that are made
in every game more than offset their base
hits. 1t seems to be that every man in
the lineup has no other object in view
than to make an effort to get base Hit.
When they are successful at that no team
, is apt to beat them, but the percentage,
, OF course, Is always against them
There were innumerable instances dur