Evening star., 1912-07-07
NATIONALS HAVE STARTED
ANOTHER WINNING STREAK
CONTINUED from First Page.)

Mack's team is not as good as it was
last season. The pitching staff Of the
champions Is showing signs of faltering.
Bender, who was one of the mdinstays
of the team last season. is not coming
through. Coombs and Plank are still
great pitchers. The latter Is not quite
as consistent performer as he was
last season. vet he is a most valuable
man. Plank will win majority of his
games as long as he can be given five
or six days rest between games, but
that is hardly pitching strength enough
to carry a team pennantward. 1t should,
of course. be conceded that both Brown
and Houck have done good work Of late.
who may merely be showing a flash, and
once they feel that there is real respon-
sibility on their shoulders 1t remains to
be seen if they can hold their own.
The value of a single ball player to a
team il he is of the right sort is hard to
estimate. Up to the time that Chick Can
dill Joined the Nationals the team was Of
rather uncertain quality. yet from the
time the Montreal youngster Joined the
ranks 1t became a winning aggregation
1t seems absurd to believe that the ad
dition of single player could change
second division team to pennant con-
tender and yet this appears to be an alb
soiute fact. Griffith yearned for a player
of batting ability whom he could bat
fourth from the time he entered the cam
paign- He figured that in Moeller. Foster
and Milan he had a trio TO lead of his
batting order who could reach the bases
frequently. but he lacked n heavy hitter
who could bring them in. Gandil has
filled that bill. But he has not only
proven a heavy hitter, but a brilliant
player in the field and on the bases. In
fact his playing has been a surprise to
those even who predicted that he would
make good in fast company. Gandil has
made the Washington team. and in the
six weeks or SO that he has worn a WASH
ington uniform he has had an opportunity
to prove that his work In the early days
Of his career with the team was anything
but flash in the pan.
Without any official announcement of
the matter it seems assured that Groom
and Johnson will pitch the double-h header
against Cleveland, slated for Tuesday
Just which pair of his pitchers Manager
Davis will use remains to be seen, for
Cleveland is scheduled to play in the west
today, and much. of course, Will depend
on che outcome of this game.
The two off days, which Sunday and
Monday give the Nationals are of the
greatest help TO Griffith's pitching staff
for it makes any one OF his pitchers with
the probable exception of Hughes avail
able for any OF the Cleveland games. In
cidentally he will be in position to
make such changes on the rubber as oc
casion may demand without crippling his
lOT the suCCecOl0S con-
tests.
One advantage that the Nationals will
have over the other contenders for the
pennant is the fact that as whole
the players Of the other teams of the
American League will pull for the Ma
tionals to win out. Ball players are a
clannish lot in many respects and nothing
pleaseS them more than TO see city
which has been down in the race for
many years advanced, for the reason
that il helps the game TO have such
conditions arise.
What is more, the personal popularity
OF all the players who have been on the
local team for years carries considerable
weight In the days when Washington
had a tailender the team was always
praised by the contenders in the race
for the reason that it made just as
strenuous effort against one team as
it did another.
1t always tried its best. regardless of
which team it was opposing and play
ers on the teams which were benefited
thereby appreciate this fact The moral
effect of having the good wishes of an
opposing team counts for much in base
ball.