Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-02
Losses Yesterday Practically Eliminate Nationals Penant Chanc
PLAY POOREST
BALL AGAINST ATHLETICS
Griffmen Fail to Show Anywhere Near as
We'll in Games With Mack's Team
as in Other Contests.
BY J. ED GRILLo.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

BY J. ED GRILLo.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
! PHILADELPHIA, September 2.-No
matter how formidable the Nationals may
| look against the most of their rivals,
! whenever they hook up with the Athletics
their exhibition becomes weak and the re-
suit usually shows them to have been out
| classed by their rivals. OF the seventeen
games played between the two teams this
! season thirteen have been Won by the
Mackmen. two of them yesterday The
very sight of a Philadelphia uniform
seems to have an awe-inspiring effect on
| the Griffithites and as a result their work
| is always'lacking enough in every depart
| ment to make it no difficult matter for
| the leaders to win their games.
1t looked for a time Yesterday as if the
/ two teams would break even In the sec
ond game, with the Nationals one run to
the good in the tenth. and two out and
| no one the bases for the Athletics.
/; it was not expected that anything
could happen which would change the
| impending result. But something did
| happen. Three sharp hits, one double,
! flew off the bats of the Mackmen. and
| in less time than it takes to tell it two
runs DtSH SIldSeu ONCi SHS piolCs 0C@
/ feat had been changed into victory.
The morning game had all been scored
up to the credit of the leaders. They
once more Outplayed the Nationals, who
seem able to withhold all their poor play
ing until they come here. 1t was vir-
tually SO in the afternoon game, for had
the team played good ball the Athletics
would not have had an. opportunity to go
into the tenth inning and pull game out
of the fire.
The dual defeat puts a decided crimp
in the hopes of the Nationals and their
followers. All chance of beating out
! the Mackmen by brilliant finish has
been shattered, while it begins to look
very much as if the Maps will have
second place cinched long before the
season is at an end. The blow which
the Mackmen dealt the team yesterday
was crusher and had the effect of
creating the opinion that the Nationals
have no right to claim anything that
the Athletics do not want to give them.
johnson. though he was by no means
in his best form, particularly during
the early innings of the second game
Hooked to be winner when the Ma
tionals. after tying the score in the
ninth inning. came through In the
tenth and secured run which put
them In the lead. This belief was
strengthened when Schang, the first
Mcbride. and Daley. who batted for
Bush, struck out before any one had
reached the bases. Murphy also mad
two strikes on him when he hit into
center for base. and a moment ia,e aye
he came all the way home on Old
rings long double to the left field
fence. That tied the score. but there
was still hope. for but one man nad 10
be retired to end the inning. Collins
was determined not to be that man,
Ioh had two strikes on
him. he drove the ball on line 10
right and Oldring came home with the
winning run. No cleaner hits than tne
three in this inning were ever mace
off any pitcher They were all haFd-
hir line drives that the Outfe1ders had
to brace themselves in order 10 De aDle
to stop.
Johnson's undoing was partly oue -. W
his own failure to field bunt by Barry
in the second inning. With Baker on
third and Walsh on second, Barry WORKED
the sqbeeze PLAY. bunting In front Vi Tue
plate as Baker dashed for the ruDoei.
| Johnson was puzzled and stood there,
making no attempt to field the ball until
he saw that Walsh also was scorns, anu
then he threw wild to Ainsmith trying
to catch him. In the very next INNING
the Athletics got two more TALES NUT
ply being hit by pitcned pan; anu that
ring and Baker singing. FROM .na'
time on johnson was himself again, par
ring the tenth. In the meantime the Ma
tionals were doing enough business WIN
Mack's pitcher to tie the score III .no
ninth and to gain the lead in the tenth
end then happened that late rally al
ready referred to.
Mack does not wait until his young
pitchers have endangered the game be-
fore he takes them out. The moment
they show any weakness he has a SUD
stitute on hand, and this. no doubt, has
been the reason for the remarkaDle sue
cess OF his much-abused pitching stan
this season. In the fourth inning, IoI III
stance after a couple of hard-hit balls
had been made off Brown, ne was yanKed
and Houck substituted, and when Milan
and Gandil hit safely off him IN the
sixth, he too. was pulled and Bush TOOK
his place and finished the game tnouBh
he was hit hard all the way.
The squeeze play was brought INTO
vogue by the Mackmen yesterday and IL
worked in two out of three instances. In
the morning game they pulled it and got
themselves a run, and In the afternoon
game they got two off Johnson as re-
suit of this strategy. They tried to win the
game with this play In the ninth inning Oh
the second game, but failed, thanks to
good break on the part Of the visitors
McInnis had doubled and taken third
when the next man up went out at nrst
With Barry up he started Tor the plate
and Barry hunted but II was rlsht AZ
Johnson, and he did not have to hurry
to make a double play on McInnis.
It was MiIan's failure properly to see
McInnis' ny in the first inning of the
morning game which gave the Athletics
two of three runs they scored on OF
Boehling in the opening round. In fact.
this misplay cost the game, Tor had Milan
caught the ball as he should nave the
home folks would have had but one run
to their credit in that round instead OF
three, and that, of course, would nave
made a great difference. Games will be
played here today and Wednesday. when
the Nationals make their final appear
ance here. Groom is slated for the SLAP
work today, but Griffith does not yet
know what choice he will make from his
pitching staff for the final game. He ex-
pected to advance in the race because ne
had Boehling and Johnson to work yes
terday, but in this he erred. and potn OF
them went down to defeat Mack on the
other hand has Shawkey and Plank In
reserve and he Is not denying that ne
expects to make it four straight from the
Nationals. which, judged on yesterday
performance, is possible, to say the least.
When McInnis doubled in the ninth the
ball was returned to McBride at secon ON
base and he tossed it to Foster, who was
not looking McInnis went to third, but
was sent back by Evans, who ruled that
he had called time the moment he saw
that the crowd was interfering with
Gedeon who was playing left, trying to
| field the BALL
Johnson's stick was very much in evil
dence In fact If it had not been for his
hitting the Nationals would never have
been in the figuring. 1t was ms nome
| run drive into the left field bleachers in