The Washington herald., 1912-07-28
By cHRrsrr MArHEwsos.

The vital spot in the National League
race for 1872 has been passed as far as
| the Giants are concerned, and now II
looks like clear sailing to the pennant.
There will be tough places to cross the
hard schedule that We have ahead Of US
for the next month and a half. but with
the lead that the club now possesses IL
| should never again be in danger OF los
ing.
The Cubs had fine chance to draw
up to within easy -hailing distance Of
| first place and make the race closer
one all the way when the Giants were
indulging in a slump on the first part Of
the Western trip, now completed. and
Chicago kicked II away. unable to retain
the pace which the club had set against
us. When we left Chicago Chance con-
hdently predicted that his club would win
the pennant; that the Giants were done:
| that McGraw's pitchers were entirely in.
| and that the race would look like a pro-
ccssion about September. with the Cubs
riding on the band wagon. The race may
look like a procession toward the end Of
II, but the Cubs viii not be enjoying any
scenery from the band wagon.
When the Cubs had their best chance
they caved under the strain-~The Giants
got into Pittsburg after having lost
be going very badly. We left Chicago
with the Cubs going like a house afire.
and thsn the Quakers arrived there, a
club for which little regard has been
shown this season. and they proceeded to
take four out Of five games from the
Cubs while we were winning three out OF
four from the Pirates. That was the
turning point in the race. Had the Cubs
held their own against the teams reputed
to be easy picking. while We were in
Pittsburs and Cincinnati. they would stlll
be within easy reaching distance OF hrst
place and would have had the Giants
worried.
Cabs Lose Opportunity.
The Giants returned home from what
was expected TO be the hardest road trip
of the season with a clean margin of
eleven games over the Cubs Chicago
lost a grand opportunity 10 cut in on US,
and now the Cubs have little chance.
Will. the Giants were making clean
sweep in Cincinnati even Brooklyn beat
the Cubs and enabled us to gain a whole
game.
The Giants are in excellent condition.
and the team, as a whole, is better than
IL has been at any other time this sea-
son The one weak point. its heidins,
is overcome now by the terrific batting
and the excellent pitching. Marcuard
appears TO De nlnlSeH PAh~ASN
a beautiful game against Cincinnati. al
lowing only two hits up to the ninth
inning, when the New York club was
so far ahead that he eased of. He had
all the old stuff on the ball and all the
old confidence that he showed when ne
piled up his winning streak From now
to the end of the season, l look to see
him practically unbeatable.
Tesereau . Star.
Tesreau is a man who was developed
on the trip largely because some of the
other pitchers fell down and some one
had to do the twiriing. Showed into a
game practically lost. with everything to
gain and nothing to lose. an ideal way
for a young pitcher to start against a
veteran club he showed that he was
there by pitching part Of contest in
Chicago that was beautiful piece Oh
work. He also demonstrated in the sec
ond game in which he worked In Chi
cago. and also in the one IN flttsourg
that he has everything pitcher should
have. including confidence in his own
ability, which, perhaps. is the greatest
He will be one of the big stars of the
league next season
The men are batting again as they
did in the first part OF the season, ana
fieldins errors here and there are small
things to worry about when club can
pile up the runs the way the Giants do.
/ think that the fielding weakness OF the
team has been over-estimatcd by the
writers and critics. Many errors have
cropped I'D, but the club is composed
Of men who think more of winning than
they do Of fielding averages, and they
take all sorts of chances TO get paii-
l have played with baseball prima
donnas with big regulations as nelders
who hesitate to try to get ball that
looks dificult for fear that the average
VIII be hurt !.
There is not a man on the Giants Of
this stylish type, and, while frequently
many errors are to be discovered In the
box scores almost as often these same
guilty offenders have cut on base hits
by their sterling work in the same game
Take Fletcher. guess that the Giants
shortston was credited with as many err
rors as any one on the trip, but he was
also the man who was cutting on hits,
and his phenomenal fielding saved two
games that 1 can think of right now
without getting brain fever. He goes out
into left field and makes startling catches
Of balls that other shortstops would con-
cede to be hits, and he cuts down ground
balls over second. for, which a pitcher
would not blame him II he did not try
for them. Murray il the same type of
fielder, one Of these all-over-the-place
guys. and incidentally he u batting like
a fiend.
Reds q Failure.
But It seems as II have said enough
Of the Giants for one chapter. Seven
other clubs are still In the league, IL not
in the race. It seemed q shame that the
Giants were the team to drop the proud
and fast travelling Cincinnati Reds. pilot
cd by Hank O'Day. out OF first place
on our first trip West this season Then.