Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-11
FAIL AGAINST THE
WEAKER TEAMS
Nationals Do Not Make Best
of Chances When Playing
Clubs Low in the Race.
HUGHES SHOULD HAVE
WON GAME YESTERDAY
With Any Breaks at All His
Pitching Would Have Given
Nationals the Contest.
BY J. ED GRILLO.
.pecial Dispatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
DETROIT, July 11-Put this club OF
ours against real ball team and 1t will
look impressive. but stack 1t against a
lowIv crew and it will appear to be out
classed.
For some unaccountable reason Grifhth
team does not play up to its standard
when pitted against teams 1t ought TO
beat easily After having taken four
straight from Boston it looked like a
cinch that it would clean up with New
York, yet it got only an even break there
An even split is also the best that can be
expected here, and in order to accom-
n,ish that q victory will have to be scored
today
Somehow or other the Nationals do not
show to their best advantage when they
are playing weak teams. There IS soi'ie-
thing about the way they go about their
work in such games that differs greatly
from their actions when playing strong
team There seems to be a lack OF spirit
and hustle, and. all in all. the team seems
to play far below its real standard Wneh
it has an apparently easy foe as an oppo-
nent. :, 49, at:
All there is to this Detroit team this
season is Ty Cobb, and yet the Tigers
have made the Nationals look Iooiisn M !.
this series without airy aid from the great
Tyrus. The team which has been serv-
ing as a doormat for st OF the Teams III
the circuit has proved itself rather STUB,
borh opponent of the Nationals, anu
there must be some good reason for IL
Not only are the defeats which the team
has suffered here eliminating what cnance
there was for an improvement OF postum,
but il is affecting the Nationals chance !.
for the remainder of the trip, because y
+l,n nit
lions Had the game been won yester-
day Griffith would have worked harper
TODAY. thus saving Boehling. Groom anu
Johnson for Cleveland. But the deleit
yesterday forces him to use Boenilis ~.
AN effort to get an even break, ana that
makes it problematical as to Wnlch one
of the others will have TO WORK one game
in Cleveland
But for a miserable start which Hughes
made Yesterday he would probably nave
won his game in a canter. At no time
this year has the veteran looked as sood
as yesterday after the ilrsl ih,iinS To.
over But the three runs winch the Il
gers rolled up in this round were SUM-
Client to give them the game From tiat
time to the finish Hughes was absolute
master of the situa ton, and allowed out
two more hits in eight innings, ana potn
were scratches. Bat the damage was
done in the opening round. for the Ma
t;onsIs could never overcome that lead.
Notwithstanding the fact that Hall
struck out ten of the Nationals, ne was
hit much harder than was Hughes. Inc
Nationals made almost twice as. many
hits as did the Tigers, and. In addltloh
IN these there were any number OF paiis
which had base hit labels on them nit
right at the fielders. Halls success was
largely due to the fact that he was able
to stop Chick Gandil. the teams best hit
ter For some unaccountable reason Can
dill could not solve Hall. He struck out
twice walked once and on another occa-
sion offered a weak chance to the lnneld.
On three of the four occasions that Can
dill was up there were men on the bases,
and if he had been in his usual form
there would have been a different story
to tell But Hall handled Gandil as IL he
were a mere child, and to this fact must
be attributed his victory.
Use good pitcher. one of reputation
and record, and he will have hard time
heating Griffith's team. But some busher
who hardly knows the way around the
bases and is used for fattening the bat
ting records of the opposition, will come
along and look like a Mathewson against
the Nationals.
Where other teams feast the Nationals
famish ii seems. and for that reason 1T
is becoming very plain that the teams
pennant chances are decidedly slim unless
some radical changes are made in the