The Washington herald., 1912-07-14
sy EDDIE COLLINS.

ming OF the season After losing tne
important series with the Boston Red
sox the preceding week. which was
severe setback. the Athletics ran into a
dolble-header with Cleveland and lost
both games. only to meet the Chicago
White Sox and find them going at the
same old gait which they were main
tanning when they were here on their
first trip East this season and leading
the league
II IL has been bad week for the Ath-
ietics, il has been a good one for the
Red Sox and Washington The latter y
a team that 1 fail to understand. With
five new men to the big league playing
regularly In the lineup. with several
old players who never displayed any
thing in particular before. and with
couple of pitchers cast on by other
clubs. the Nationals are booming along.
not satisfied with winning one game or
two in a row, but they are insisting on
piling up six. or seven, or eight, or
nine or more. admit now that 1t IL
a DANGEROUS team, and with little
cracking on the part of one or two
other clubs might sneak in and grab the
pennant.
On paper, the team looks as il II
lacked the class Of the Boston club and
the Athletics, but on the field it is win
-
Ever since Griffith started his record run
of seventeen games, prophets OF evil have
been issuing forecasts that the team
would break but Ii has shown no signs
of it, and sensible leaders in the Ameri-
can League are beginning to menron the
club in connection with the pennaSt
Clark Griffith deserves a great deal Cf
credit for the showing OF the team, for
It is his handiwork and not an inheri-
oil mar ma ger q
constructed his machine in one season
and has il booming along right up with
the leaders and making the travelling
very difficult.
Pitchers Going Strong.
Three pitchers have done a great deal
toward placing the team where II stands
to-day. Hughes. Groom, and johnson
have been pitching steady, consistent ball
Hughes. in particular. is rejuvenaton.
while Groom has been surprise At
the beginning of the season, johnson
looked like the only reliable pitcher in
the string. but, even while he was iaid
of i'll, the team did not slow up or
lose many more games. Now that the
great twirler is able to take his reSula-
turn in the box again, the team Is piiioS
them I'D with great regularity. All CLUBS
addition of Vaughn and Petty has
strengthened the pitching STAN. Such
change from one club to another otten
benefits players. Both these pitchers
were losers when working for the clubs
which released them, but each has shown
ability since joining the Senators. wash
lngton is a dangerous team
Now we consider the Red Sox. and 1t
Is a dangerous club, too. There are al
together too many dynamite teams In
the league this year to suit me, but II
make 1t pleasant for the spectators, De-
cause they enjoy a close race. The sche-
dule is paved with dangerous teams. The
Red Sox at present are going at top
speed, as we realized after encountering
them in a series which set us back
couple of games. They increased their
lead on us considerably last week. and
are causing US a great deal of worry.
They have a large margin for this time
of year.
The real keystone to this team is Iris
Speaker, whose work has been big
factor IN the clubs success. The IN
field is built up around the brilliant Wag- |
ner. A fast, aggressive man like him |
in an infield gives the other players con-
fidence and keeps them all on their toes. |
Wagner Is doing this. The pitchers are |
going well and working uniformly. which \
will help any club to success. One star
pitcher does a team little good if the
others are worse than mediocre. But L
the Boston pitchers are all able perform
ers. Wood, Hall, Collins, Bedient, and
O'Brien turn in victories with a great
deal of regularity. The reliability Of four
or five pitchers like these keeps each
one from being overworked and gives
all an ample opportunity to rest. 1t
was this overworking of one star, Ed
Walsh, which pulled the Chicago club
down out OF first place. When he began
TO break under the strain, there was no
one to hold the team up.
Red Sox the Club.
In summing up. should say that the
Red Sox are the most likely contenders
for the pennant, and that it is apt to be
4 drive to the wire to finally decide on
the winner. The Boston team has been
going at the same steady pace all sea-
son. with no indications of the often
predicted break, and appears to be meet
ing the Western clubs with the same
result on its percentage. 1t
Is a wonderful, smooth-working, we'll
balanced ball club, and our only hope of
overtaking 1t now, with the large lead
which It holds, is for 1t to break or for
some Of the stars to be laid up, an all
nent which has troubled the Athletics
all season.
Which brings us back home. said at
the beginning of this article that it had
been a bad week for the Athletics, and
| see DO reason to change my mind since
started to write It. 1t Is doubtful now
II Danny" Murphy will be in the line
up again this season. His injury, at
first thought TO be slight, has turned out
10 be serious, and he has a very bad
knee, which refuses to improve. The club
doctor says that 1t is a bad case Of
water on the knee. This loss Of Murphy /.
Ireauy reduces our batting strength. as
he was one Of the most able hitters on
the club, especially in a pinch
Strunk has filled the place left vacant
by Murphy very creditably. especially on
the defense, but his batting does not
approach the Murphy brand, and Ii is
hitting which decides ball games. There
has been a oliver lining to the events of
The week. however, which gives promise
II a brighter future. Barry has returned
70 the infield and restored it TO its, hal
ance- His loss was severely felt The
pitchers are going well now, better than
IT any other time this season Coombs-
Bender. and Plank, the old n1ainstays.
ire being aided materially by the young
ster Brown. We are far from discour- ]
lged. Let Boston run into q fog of
ough luck like we have met-and
'treaks overtake any club. no matter ,
row heavily 1t is upholstered with horse
'hoes-and then let the Red Sox look out.
white sox Battlfng.
The White sox are again the battnngl
oys which they were in the early part