The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-07-16
WESTERN TEAMS ARE
DRAGGING THE GIANTS
BACK INTO THE RACE
Cards Taking Three Straight
From McGraw Helps
Whole Lot
HARD ROW FOR NEW YORK
Must Suffer Bombardment From
Strong Western Teams
/ for Six Weeks ..
HARD ROW FOR NEW YORK
BY RALPH L. YONKER.

The Giant-chase In the National
kaeague is beginning to be pennant
Race. The western clubs are pulling
down the Muggsies far enough so
chat there is some equality among
the leaders.
The latest feat OF blocking the
Giants swift progress was accom-
Rplished by the Cardinals, the only
6western club, by the way, that is not
I'm the first division Of the league.
THE Cards have taken three straight
Nrom the Gothamites, two OF which
were from the mighty Rube' Mar
Auuard.
Up to the beginning OF the present
.western invasion the Giants have
been so completely. over the head OF
ieyerybody else that there has been
mo interest in the race as contest
There has been merely some specula-
ton as to which one OF the trailers
would finish In the runner-up berth.
But now the western crowds are
whooping II up TO beat the Gia1ts TO
AZ. Starting out In mid-season with
the beginning OF their western In
vasion 215 points ahead OF the Cubs
In the percentage column, the Giants
have dropped rapidly until now they
are only 126 ahead Of the runners-up.
TIE series at Chicago was disas-
trous and that at ST. Louis has been
Just as bad.
In the east the Giants had things
their own way. Westerners trembled
when they doomed up on the eastern
horizon. They expected them TO
cinch the pennant in a few weeks and
loaf through the rest Of the season,
preparing for the worlds champion
ship series.
But the strong western teams now
give promise of putting all such
notions TO flight. When the lowly
Cardinals, who have been playing
like wooden men come TO life and
wallop McGraw's men, 1t looks good
for a real race.
The barometer of the Giants sue
cess is their pitching STAFF. Hugh
Fullerton says that the Cubs are play
ing better baseball than the Giants,
With the exception OF the pitchers.
II the pitching STAFF weakens at all,
as it did when Vanguard failed to
stop the Cards, IL meaRs disaster for.
the Giants -, - - e, = - -. - -
In addition to having 1t on al, the
other teams OF the league In pitch
ing, the Giants have played. with the
vim and confidence of real worlds
champs. - - ''''' =
But since the beginning OF the pres
ent invasion, their enthusiasm has
been dampened. Their pitchers have
been going only fairly well, they have
fallen into batting slump. and sick
ness has kept some of their stars out
of the game, breaking up the regular
lineup. -. -.
All this, has made McGraw inclined
to worry. To cap his troubles, he
faces a hard. rough road and is bad
ly shod. From now until Aug. 20,
there will be a continuous battertng
from the western teams, the strong
ones OF the league.
After leaving st. Louis. the Giants
meet the Reds at Cincinnati and tbs
Pirates at Pittsburgh. Then the four
western teams have run-ins with Nc
Graw's men at the Polo Grounds, New
York. after which Muggsy returns TO
the west to cover the same ground
that he is going over now.
The Giants pitching stan means
Mathewson and Marquard. Mathew
son, the old reliable, has been faded
by the brilliant RUDE this year, but
that brilliance OF the southpaw
Seems to be dimming. II so. the
Giants will be much easier prey, for
Maruuard has won enough games
alone to put the Giants On TIE high