Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-19

DEFEAT OF MAPS CAUSES
NEW HOPES FOR REMNANT
Griff's Men Gain Much Confidence as a
Result of Yesterdays Victory
Team Still Has Chance.
BY j. ED GRILLO.

j. ED GRILLo.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
CLEVELAND, Ohio. August 19.-New
pennant hopes have jumped up in the
their victory over the Maps yesterday.
while Philadelphia was being trounced by
the Tigers. True Grifiith's team is still
far behind the two leaders. but there is
mathematical chance which can be fig
ured, and. of course, Griffith never over
looks such an opportunity.
Coming as it did. the victory yesterday
gave the Nationals quite boost in the
percentage column. because both their
nearest rivals went down to defeat. Griff
insists that his team will win again to-
day, when Johnson is slated to pitch,
and he hopes that the Detroit aggrega-
ton will repeat over the Athletics, who
appear to be i'm desperate slump Griff
is impressing the fact on his players that
there is yet chance for his team He is
pointing out to them that they must
hustle their utmost right now. so that
by the time they return to their own
grounds they will be within striking d.s-
lance of the Athletics. Seven games re-
main to be played with the leaders and
Griffith expects to win majority of
these, and before this clash takes place
he expects to have passed the Maps
This. of course. is all dope. and it is
easier said than done, but the managers
confidence is having good effect on his
players. so it is not wasted.
Base ball such as the Nationals played
against the Maps Yesterday is sure to
move them up in the race The team
fielded brilliantly and did the best hit
ting of the day. while Boehling pitched in
his usual steady form.
For the fourth time this season Boeh-
ing beat the Maps yesterday. He did
not have an easy game on his hands by
any means, because it took his team
mates some time to get going properly
at the bat, but for all that he pitched
superb game Of ball. The ten hits
charged against him were largely scat
tered. and 1t was at times when scoring
| threatened that the left-hander was at
his best Behind BcehiinS the team
played championship ball, Foster and
Milan doing particularly clever work i'm
the field, while Morgan's batting fur
nished the offensive strength SO necessary
in games of this character.
Birmingham was forced to use three
pitchers. Banding, who has been win
ming with regularity of late. had to re-
tire under fire in the seventh. and Cullop
was brought in He, too. got into hoi
water in the final round and was re-
turned by Toledo. James did not stop
the onslaught. however. and it was while
he was on the rubber that the runs
which decided the victory were made.
Had Joe Boehlng been playing on
field which was not short in right yes
terday he would have had two home
| runs to his credit On two different oc
casions he hit near the top of the forty
five-foot screen which protects right
S<II 1,tpt
drives. Had he been on the Washing
ton Geld both of them would probably
have cleared the old storage building
which has just been RACED.
The serious slump of Mack's team is
largely due to the absence of Jack Barry,
the crack shortstop of the Mackmen,
who is being badly missed. Barry is out
with an injury, and is apt to stay out of
harness for couple of weeks yet. To
make matters worse. Orr, his substitute,
is playing with a broken thumb and can
not do himself justice. Mack appears to
be poorly fortified in the infield, and
should it happen that one of the other
regulars meets with an injury he will be
fortunate to stay in the race much longer.
Plank lost his seventh consecutive game
yesterday when Detroit beat him. and
Bender has only won occasionally during
the past month. In fact, in the last
thirty-eight games played the Mackmen
have been travelling at a 800 clip, and that
is not fast enough to allow them to re-
tain their lead.
Had Chick Gandil been hitting in any
thing like his form Monday there never
would have been any question as to the
outcome. He had nnumerable opportuni-
ties to break up the struggle with hit.
but failed on every occasion excepting
the ninth inning, when he laid down
bunt which he beat out In the first
inning. with Foster and Milan on and only
one out. he hit into a double play Foster
and Milan We're on the bags when he
| came up in the sixth and he forced Milan,
and in the seventh. with the bases
crowded, he hit a little bounder to the
pitcher which retired the side. Ordinarily
under such conditions Chick would have
broken up the game.
Howard Shanks got back into the game
today. but he still shows signs of his
injured ankle and limps perez ptibly in
going after flies. bat Griffith proposes TO
keep him in the game here because he is
the only one of the outtielders who can
play sun-field to perfection.
HaNIn: won three out of four from:
the Athletics the Cleveland fans had
hopes of making a clean sweep of the
two games the Nationals had TO play
here. They came to the grounds to
see Boehling wiped up, but they erred
in their expectations. Cleveland is
really base ball mad. The pennant bee
has been buzzinG around here. and
, the Maps are boosted to the skies. The
Nationals hope to give their old rivals
| two setbacks during their stay here,
however. and are confident that they
| will pass the Birmingham crew before
i they return to their own grounds.
Joe BoehlinS had added cracking
good slow ball to- his repertoire, which
| worked very successfully against the
Maps. 1t was his change of pace which
| stopped Jackson. who in five trips to
' the plate got but one hit, and it was
| a scratch through the box. Boehling
J has always had slow ball. but he
I lacked control of it. and Griff would
not allow him to use it in game He
| has mastered the slow delivery now,
however. and it helps his effectiveness.
Boehling pitched no better yesterday than
: in his previous efforts when he lost.
but his support, both defensiveiy and
extensively, was much improved and
| without these essentials no pitcher can
| be expected to win.
| Milan made a catch in the third
4 inning which brought the crowd to
| it's feet. Chapman sent low liner
| over second which Milan caught slid
/ ing over the ground. He skinned his
!, elbow in the effort. but held the ball.
and the crowd did not hesitate to show
its appreciation.