Evening star., 1912-08-27
BY J. ED GRILLO.


of the games from them. it seems TO
have been the Browns good Torture to
win from the Nationals whenever there
has been a chance for Griffith's team to
crawl up on Boston. and yesterday was
not an exception to this rule. with
Boston losing to Chicago and the flrst
game a victory for the Nationals. an
other victory would have meant the
gaining of game and a half on Bos-
ton. but as matters turned out but half
game was gained, while the Atm
letics crawled up similar distance on
the Nationals.
Not only do the Browns play far
ahead of their normal gait in a ma
jority of the games they have played
with the Nationals. but the team has
several pitchers which always prove
troublesome to the local batsmen, and
the result is that all the games be-
tween this pair are close and nara
fought. with the breaks going to the
Browns.
Two games remain of the present
series. and it is by no means assured
that the Nationals will win both of
these. Stovall still has John Powell to
work against the locals. and he is
showing good form. Today Griffith will
use either Cashion or Engel while
Mitchell or Baumgardner will be on
the slab for the visitors. Tomorrow
Johnson will probably be used. and he
ought to win his game.
But for Bobby Wallace the Browns
would win decidedly few ball games. The
veteran shortstop is just about 40 per
cent of the teams strength, and he Is
going better this year than he has in sew
eral. In fact, it is questionable whether
Wallace ever played better ball in his en-
tire career than he has this season, es-
pecially since he was relieve of the man.
agement of the team. His fielding yester-
day did much to hold down the Nationals
score in the first game. and his stops OF
base hits i'm the second made it possible
for his team to win the second.
In the first game the Nationals beat
Allison for the first time this season. and
1t was because they got the breaks against
the youngster that this was accomplished.
The four runs gained in the third were
an error. Bob Groom had only one poor
inning, the fourth, but pitched brilliantly
in all the other rounds.
The hardest hit of the day was a line
drive from Gandl's bat in the seventh in
ming of the first game. which Compton
made an effort to catch, but which was
travelling at such terrific speed that it
tore his hands apart, and was scored
two-bagger. 1t was low. line drive for
which Compton had to run forward.
Melville Galla, the young pitcher Sc
cured from Kansas City in a trade for
Vaughn and Walker, reported to Man
ager Griffith during yesterdays game.
Gallia is a big. raw-boned individual, who
is hardly out of his teens. He is regarded
as most promising recruit. and while
he may not be ready to pitch in the maj
ors just now. Griffith wants to give him
the benefit of a little experience this fall.
in the hope that he will be developed by
next season.
Bill Kenworthy, the Denver recruit. ar
rived this morning. Griffith has not de-
cided when he will let him break into the
lineup.
Frank Laporte hit i'm hard luck or there
would not have been anything to the sec
ond game. With one on in the third in
ming he drove line drive to right center.
but Shotten was playing there for him
and made an easy catch. In the seventh,
with two on the bases Laporte caught a
fast one to his liking and sent ii on a
line to deep left center. For some unac-
him in that direction, and after long
run made a brilliant capture of the drive,
thus preventing the defeat of his team.
There were only two innings in which
the Nationals failed to get on the bases
started by the first man up getting on, yet
he won his game for the reason that he
was at his best with men on the bases.
What pity it is that Howard Shanks
is not faster on the bases. He beat him.
self out OF two hits yesterday simply be-
cause he lacks speed. Once Wallace got
a ball right over second off him, and on
another occasion Pratt went behind the
bag and got what looked like certain
hit and threw hi mout. A faster man
would have beaten out both of these
drives, which would have made a differ
ence in the result
Compton's hit which gave the Browns
the two runs in the seventh was a
scratch. Johnson had two strikes on
him when he fouled several and then hit
bounder through the box, which neither
Mcbride nor Morgan could reach. and
both runs scored. The runners had been
advanced a moment before when johnson
made a wide pitch which Ainsmith barely
Knocked down. But for this Mcbride
would probably have gotten compton's
grounder, for he would have been holding
Wallace on second.
There were two occasions in that
seventh inninf- when the Nationals SEEM
ed to have won the game. When Milan
drove that liner to right fed it seemed
that the game was over. The ball hit
the fence on line. but it was several
inches foul and Milan then struck out.
Laporte seemed to have made himself
the hero of the day when he drove a
liner to left center. but Shottens remark
able catch killed the chance and saved
the game
After the second game had been lost
there was considerable criticism of Man
ager Griffith for having brought Johnson
into the game when Hughes had two on
and one out in the seventh Yet when
johnson walked to the slab in this inning
the crowd went wild with enthusiasm
figuring that the great pitcher would be
able to stop the Browns. ana win d game
which would help to put his team nearer
to Boston. That is what Griffith had
hoped to do. He did not take Johnson>
winning record into consideration, nor
did johnson give it a thought. A vic
son and his team than any sort of IA
record that Walter might hang up. The
switch of Johnson for Hughes was the
logical thing to do under the circum-
stances. and the fact that it failed to
bring about desired results does not
affect the wisdom of the move
l. To have won both games yesterday
would have put the Nationals in a splen-
did position to make further gains on
Boston. clean-sweep of the ST. Louis
series, and with good prospects against
the Highlanders, who come next, the
Nationals would have been splendidly
fortified for the three games which will
be played with the Athletics next week,
prior to going to Boston for series of
four games. That defeat in the second
game made a difference of one game be-
tween Boston and Washington which at
this stage amounts to "a whole lot. or