Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-26

| the plate only in the last couple Of in
| nings when 1t appears that the run will
win for the side at bat.
| Notwithstanding the fact that he has
not played the position with any regu-
| larity in years. George Moriarty must be
classed with the best fielders around first
base. Yesterday he saved the other
| infielders several errors by making spec
| tacular stops and catches out OF low
thrown balls. Moriarty played the bag
! as though he has been there all season,
instead of holding 1t down as a make
shift
| If Moriarty could hit as well as Is now
expected Of man playing the initial
| farther for a first baseman for next sea-
| son.
| 1t will not take much to make Detroit
| another pennant-winning ball club. The
| Tigers have the nucleus for another
championship organization. There is not
another club in the league that has as
much around which to build next year.
excepting those clubs which do not have
| to rebuild.
/ With another capable outfielder and a
pitcher or two the Tigers will be con-
tenders In the next championship race 1t
/
Ing the Tigers the most worry this year.
| though. and If couple of good recruits
/ could be secured for next season there is
! little doubt they would stand an excel
] lent chance to finish in front. Bush
Cobb, Crawford. Louden, Stanage and
possibly Moriarty are good enough play
| ers around which to form another pen
nant club. provided another pitcher, who
ban be depended on can be secured.
Detroit appears to have secured a
] mighty good ball player in Louden He
| has shown as well in the field as any
other second baseman who has played
| here this year and has done fairly good
work with the bat. If the form he has
| displayed in the series here is a correct
| criterion, Detroit will not have to worry
| about second baseman for next season
Louden looks to be the best man Detroit
| has had to fill the position in a long
| time.
Deal. the other infielder secured recent
| ly by the Tigers. is not the finished play
| er that is Louden. He does not appear
to be as capable a fielder or hitter At
| that. though. he has fielded Well around
| third base.
| Gandil undoubtedly won the second
| game by his individual playing He re-
covered his batting eye. and hit in the
first four runs the Nationals made. Be
| sides his work at the bat. he had some
performances to his credit in the field
| which were exceptional. When Moriarty
| tried to sneak down to second on John
| son, and stopped, Gandil got the ball,
| turned and made a quick throw to third
which got Crawford off the bag when he
was hardly expecting a play in his direc-
! ton. Twice Gandil went over to his right
the kind Of fielding which is most diff
cult for the majority of first basemen,
and got two hard-hit ground balls which
| would have scored runs.
! 1t might be mentioned in this connec-
/ ton that Gandil makes a play that is
accomplished by but few other first base
| men. When he has to go over to the
| right and get ball on which he cannot
/ get back in time to get the runner and
the pitcher covers up he always losses
the ball to him before he reaches the
| bag, thus making it an easy matter for
him to touch the bag. The majority of
!, first basemen always wait until the pitch
er gets to the bag before throwing the
| ball. causing him to have to watch both
the ball and bag. The latter play is
much more difficult than the way Gandil
| performs it.
1t is mighty seldom that any outfe,der
covers more ground after fly ball than
| did Shanks on one occasion Yesterday
He sprfnted forty or fifty yards before he
| got to fly that was hit high in the air
| along the left field foul line.
While Milan gets great deal Of credit
for the play he made at the plate yes
terday. when he caught the runner from
second on a single 1t must not be for
gotten that Alva Williams made the put
out possible. Mlan's throw was wide Of
the plate and great many catchers
would have made effort to tag the
runner. and the chances are that MOriarty
| did not expect an attempt to be made
to get him. but Williams gave unge,
| throwing himself so that he fell full
| length on the ground and just managed
| to touch the leg of the runner. 1t was
| an extremely difficult play, executed in
the only way that would have been pos
]! sible.
| Even though the Nationals failed to
win both games yesterday they did not
lose ground. While Griffiths crew was
breaking even with Detroit, Philadelphia
could do no better against st. Louis, and
l the one run which Cleveland scored
against Boston was sufficient for it 10
win.
| Just what will be done on the trip
/ through the West is a question. There
| is no probability that the team will win
+; the chances Of base ball-yet Their. is no
reason to consider that 1t IS 'aady fo-
i slump. A lot of runs are being scored in
almost every game. and with the pitchers
going along as well as has been the case
there should not be much trouble VIM
ming the majority of contests scheduled.
! The one thing to be feared is a slacken-
| ing up on the part of the pitchers. Here
lately the men doing the box work have
begun to show signs Of failing in The
last few innings. and 1t may mea. that
/ they are beginning to succumb to a GER
tain extent to the long strain they have