Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-28
BY J. ED GRILLo.

BY j. ED GR1LLO.
With but two points separating the
champion Athletics from the Nationals.
the series which opens here today be-
tween these two teams Is OF the greatest
Importance to both. To win a majority
of these games would place the Nationals
in a splendid position to make fight for
the lead next week. while 1t would send
the Athletics down SO as to make It Inn
possible for that team to overtake the To-
calls in the near futre. Five games are
to be played, a dolble-header starting the
series today. The last eleven games that
the Nationals have played have been with
Philadelphia and Boston, two teams
which are conceded to be the real con-
tenders for this years flag. OF the eleven
games the locals have won five, a show
ing most creditabfe, and one which gives
hope that even better work may yet be
done
Mack's team is making rapid forward
strides 1t is playing it's best ball now,
and seems determined to make any eff
fort to get to the front. It Is up to
the Nationals to stop the champions, and
If the team plays as good ball in this
series as it did In Philadelphia last week
there is nothing to be feared.
Mack will, of course. use his best pitch
ers here. The chances are that both
Plank and Bender will make their APP
pearance in the games today and that
Coombs will work tomorrow.
Griffith is undecided as to his pitchers
He may try Vaughn and Petty in the
games today, or he may give one of his
youngsters a chance. Engel. Musser or
Cashion are all ready to work, and one
or two of them may be seen in action to-
day.
n the ,n,royarnant tho Nanona,s
showed yesterday in their stick work con-
tinues a few days longer the Athletics
are not going to have easy shedding here.
Grimth's pitchers have all done good
had the proper sort of offensive support
Yesterday was the first time in several
days that the locals seemed to be able to
find the ball effectively, and 1t is believed
that this is but the beginning Of another
batting streak such as the team enjoyed
during its recent western trip.
Following the series here with the Ath-
letics New York comes for four games
While 1t is hazardous to count chickens
before they are Matched, the New York
team should not prove troublesome, and
while 1t is playing here Boston and Phila-
dlphia will be hooked up for six games
and one or the other is sure not to gain
on the locals during those series. To
make good showing against the Ath-
letics at this time will be of the greatest
assistance to the Nationals for after the
New York games the western teams make
their second trip through the east, and
judged on past performance, these should
Yesterdays game was called on account
OF darkness and not by reason OF any
time agreement. Umpire Evans made
this announcement when he called the
game after Boston had been retired in
the eighth. Had 1t been necessary to do
SO the eighth inning would have been
finished. regardless of any time agree
ment that might have been entered into.
because 1t is rule among umpfres never
to start an inning which cannot be An
ished.
Umpire Evans. who has worked in many
games behind Jim Vaughn, believes that
securing the big left-hander. Mr.. Evans
said:
Vaughn always impressed me as a
cracking. good pitcher He has a lot Of
stuff and change Of clubs may make a
great difference in him. l worked q game
behind him in New York in the spring
against Boston and he struck out seven
OF the first nine batsmen who faced him,
but after fe that he seemed to lose effective
ness Tor some reason or other"
Vaughn Is confident that he will make
good here. He is extremely pleased that
ne has gotten away from New York and
likes his surroundings here. Griffith will
not decide until this afternoon whether to
work Vaughn against the Athletics or not
He has always been successful against
the champions. but Griffith wants to be
sure he is in good form before he uses
him at all.
1t was to be expected that the Ma
tionals, batting slump could not last
much longer, and it happened that Charley
Hail. the Red Sox's star twirler, was on
the slab when the locals broke loose It
was naturally supposed that Hall would
give the Nationals as much, If not more,
trouble than any of the other twirlers on
the Boston team, but instead he proved
the easiest. lasting only three innings,
during which he was numerically
pounded Hall has the reputation Of
being a good pitcher in the spring, but
weakening as soon as the hot weather
sets in, and yesterdays performance
may have been the beginning Of his hot
weather downfall.
Tom Hughes support was far from