New-York tribune., 1913-05-18
GIANTS ON THE EVE
OF JOURNEY TO WEST
Cubs and Pirates Fare Badly in
Doing Battle with the
Eastern Clubs.
YANKEES HOME THIS WEEK
Hughie Jennings Would Pick
Matty if He Had Choice Be.
tween Big Six" and
Walter Johnson.

The Giants. who have climbed out q,
the second division TO within striking dis
! tance OF first place in the National
! League pennant race, will wind up their
| nome engagements with the Western
clubs on Friday, and move over TO Bos-
ton on saturday for a series with the
= BraVes. The Pirates will be mere for one
/ more game tomorrow, while the Cardl-
nails will come over from Brooklyn on
| tuesday for their first meeting with the
Giants this year. The first trip to the
West is now in sight.
J Inc Western clubs have Jared badly
since coming East, something over two
weeks ago. The Cubs and the Pirates
! nave suffered even worse than the Cardi.
nails. and the Reds-so much so. In fact
! that Johnny Evers, who so proudly led
his team TO Ebbets Field on May s. ha,
lost his smile and some Of his enthusiasm,
ana with reason. too, as the Cubs. who
were sailing along in front. have been
thumped and bumped along until driven
10 the second division last Wednesday.
Losing three out Of four games to Brook
!yn, three out OF four to New York and
two out Of three to the Philles has not
been profitable In a percentage way.
Fred Clarkes Pirates. who were picked
by most critics TO be the chief contenders
with the Giants for the pennant before
| the season opened, have found the goine
quite as rough and distressing. After los
ing four straight games to the Boston
Braves and three straight TO the Philias
! before breaking the ice they came TO the
| Polo Grounds, hoping the tide had
turned. 1t looked as II their hopes would
| be realized when they defeated the Giants
on Thursday, but McGraw and his men
took quick revenge, so that up 10 this time
Pittsburgh has won just two games in the
East.
The Yankees will be home on Saturday
! for a series with the Boston Red SoX.
They will wind up In Chicago to-day and
then move to st. Louis for the last series
of the present Western invasion. Frank
Chance struck a snag In Chicago. but did
so well in Detroit and Cleveland that the
! followers of the team here have reason
! to be hopeful OF better things. now that
the pitchers are rounding into form and
the other players have partially settled
down.
| Hughie Jennings, the peppery leader OK
the Detroit Tigers, was asked recently
whom he would prefer to have with his
team, Christy Mathewson. the star Twill
er of the Giants. or Walter Johnson. the
wonderful pitcher OF the Washington
Senator's Jennings hesitated for mo-
ment, and then replied:
3 "Mathewson. Mathewson. lie has
absolute control of the ball at all times.
II is useless for player TO wait him out
unless he wants TO give a free pass.
Mattys control from the time he broke
into the National League has been al
most uncanny. In picking the star OF tho
Giants l do not think the less OF John
son. He is the best pitcher in the Amer
lean League but II choice had to he
made-well. Big Six for me-"
Jack Warner. who will be remembered
by the fans as catcher Of the Giants
about n decade ago. has acquired the
franchise OF the Syracuse club Of the
State League and will manage and catch
for the team. Warner tried TO secure a
place with the Yankees this spring as
coach for the young pitchers, but was
unsuccessful.
Joe Evers, brother OF Johnny Evers, OF
baseball fame, has signed with the Terre
Haute club. Of the Central League. lie
was released by the Giants. after a trial.
last week
| Reports that Jack Coombs, the famous
pitcher of the Athletics Is critically III
are a bit exaggerated, according to DIR.
Malcolm MacFarlane. The latter said
Yesterday that Coombs was suffering
from a complication OF diseases, but that
his robust physique would undoubtedly
pull him through.
The case involving the suspension OF
George Stovall, manager of the St Louis
| team. is still under consideration, II was
announced at the office OF President John
son. in Chicago, yesterday. a decision Is
expected next week.
The committee appointed by the Base
ball Writer'S Association OF America hav-
Ing requested the major league to keep
track In the future Of the number OF men
thrown out by the catchers when attempts
we're made 10 steal, II seems timely, even
at this late hour. TO furnish the Fans"
with figures showing what the National
League backstops did in this respect In
the campaign OF 1912.
The work of the American League re-
ceivers was made public last winter, 1t
then being shown that 1910 athletes In
tent on stealing had been cut down NO
publicity was given to the way the Ma
tional League catchers acted when steals
were attempted, but the figures were COM
piled by f. ]. Lanigan, placed In cold
storage and now come before the public.
where there seems TO be a demand for
them.
The cleverest backstop in the American
League in thwarting steals last season
was Ed Sweeney, OF the Yankees. who
stopped ia thefts. Oscar Stanage. of the
Detroit Tigers, ranked second, with rec
ord of 113 killings"
In the National League. two catchers-
Ivy Wingo, of the Cardinals. and Jimmy
Archer. of the Cubs-'fiagged" one hun
dred, or more, men. The former caught
l0i base stealers in the act and the latter
an even 100
Others who cut down thirty or more
players who tried TO pilfer bags were as
follows:
Larry Mclean. Cincinnati. %; VIII
Eillifer Philadelphia SO. Otto Miller