Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-12
NATIONALS LOSE LITTLE
GROUND ON WESTERN TRIP
Will Return IN Virtually the Same Position
as When They Left --Lose
Half Game.

| ed interest here and created the I'M
/ preston that the Browns might be pen
| nant contenders next season. In every
! other city in the west and particularly al
/ Chicago, the crowds were with the Ma
| tionalS. but here they pulled for the
| Browns and Sloried in the Nationals
! defeat. But the Browns are not much of
| Il bail team at that. They have been
blessed with good pitching. that must
he granted and incidentally caught the
Nationals in a batting slump, but there
Is no speed on the team. and 1t can
boast of only two or three real ball play
. ers outside Of i pitcher OF two.
Milan materially helped his base steal
ing record Yesterday. pilfering on three
different occasions on young Alexander,
catcher of little experience who is
idoliZed here because he has a good arm.
In the third inning Milan hit to Wallace.
who threw Johnson out at the plate. He
Immediately stole second, but got no far
thrr. In the fifth inning he got a hit, a
Texas league. which scored Foster, and
he took second on the throw to the plate.
He stole third on the next bali pitched.
In the eighth he was given Il pass and
stole second. was sacrificed to third and
scored when Laportc hit long fly TO
center. Milan's ability to run has been
of TN" greatest value to the team this
season. Incidentally it was Milan's great
catch OF Wallaces line drive in the NTH
which saved the game.
When the game was over yesterday
Griffith first thought was Walter john
son his star pitcher. He took him down
in.o the clubhouse and had Trainer Mar
tin give him a rundown and insisted that
| he put on "a dry undershrt. Then ne
bundled him up in his sweater and rode
to the hotel with him in an auto Johnson
said that he never pitched harder game
i'm his life The heat affected him early
in the game. and he labored all the way
to the finish. In the ninth inning. when,
with two balls and one strike on wilkins
of the Browns AinSmith had his ringer
split Griffith walked out to Johnson
while Alva Williams was getting ready
to take .Ainsmith's place. and asked MIN
if he thought he could finish, and john
son said he would try. and so Griffith
allowed him to remain in the game. here
is no doubt that the rest which Johnson
got after Ainsmth was hurt benefited him
enough to finish the inning without being
scored on.
For time. at least. Griftl n will have
but one catcher. In the ninth inning yes
terday Ainsmith was hit on his sore mn
ger by wide pitch and had to retire
Williams taking his place. 1T Will De
some da VS. until AinSmith will be able to
catch again. and the bulk of the work
will fall on Williams, for while Henry is
able to do the catching, his injured knee
| is in such shape that he Is unable TO
run and il will be some time yet before
/
! less in The event of an emergency.
| No more interesting game than the one
! of Yesterday had been witnessed for some
| time Hamilton who shut the Nationals
out the first day of the series, was sent
back to stop them and he pitched q
I brilliant game of ball, but being opposed
| by Johnson it was granted that ne $1,000
a good chance of being defeated. 1T was
Il struggle all the way, however. and II
was by the slightest margin that John
son got the verdict. Twice the Nationals
had runners caught at the plate. ana IL
/ all they scored but three runs. There was
no scoring until the fourth and then the
I Nationals took the lead. In the opening
/ inning Foster walked after Moeler hao
/ gone out but neither Milan nor Gandi
/ could help him advance. Hogan opened
I with d hit for the Browns. hut was forced
! when Austin tried to sacrifice. AuStlf
stole second. and the next two batters
were not troublesome Laporte opened
/ the second with a hit. was Sacrlflced te
! second by ShankS, but Mcbride fOuled out
! and Ainsmith famed Johnson walked to
| open tho third and Moeller sacrificed hun
| to second. Foster hit safely, but John
| son, in frying to score, fell going TOWARD
| home and had to hustle back to third
Milan hit to Wallace, who threw home
! in time tn nail Johnson, and Gandll was
| thrown out by Hamilton.
| The first run came i'll the fourth, which
| Laporte opened with d triple Shank:
1,
J countabe reason started for the plate
! where lie was thrown out Shanks worked
| the delayed steal successfully and scored
when Mcbride hit to right center fol
| two bases, but the next two batters
| were unable to help him.
| Johnson seemed to be at his best in
| the second. third and fourth innings, bu
| he began to falter in the fifth. He go
Compton hit to right center for three
| bases. Wallace hit a line drive to righ
center, of which Milan made d wonder
| Johnson followed by striking out Alex
| ander-
In the fifth the Nationals scored again
| a single. He stole second and whei
ond Foster scored. Milan taking see
on Gandil's groundcr To Pratt tried I,
score but was called out at the plate
! There We're three occasions in ycstcr
! days game when base runners Wer,
nailed at the plate. Johnson was thrown
| ont by Wallace in the third, when hs
| would have scored on Fosters hit If Inc
| had not fallen I-aporte was thrown out
when nc tried to score Shanks
| grornder in tho fourth. and Milan was
| called out on a poor decision when II,
| tried To- score on Gandil's grounder to
| Pratt Not once during the series her,
did the Browns make a misplay which
| affected tho score Their throws We're all
perfect and hard-hit grounders always