Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-26
NATIONALS NOW
IN POOR SHAPE
Team to Play Five Games in
Three Days With Trio of
Regulars Disabled.
LAPORTE AND MORGAN
ON THE INJURED LIST
Schaefer Goes to Third Base
and Gedeon to Second-To-
days Pitching Selections.
BY ]. ED GRILLo.

BY j. ED GRILLo.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
PHILADELPHIA. Pa. May 26.-With
five games to be played in three days.
and a team which is so badly crippled
that il cannot be expected to make its
best showing the Nationals chances in
the series here are decidedly slim. With
both Foster and Morgan out of the game
and I.aporte unable to fill the place Of
either. the Nationals inield is badly shot
TO pieces. and this fact alone gives the
Athletics great advantage.
Somehow or other conditions always ia
vor Mack's men when they are to clash
with the Griffith forces. and this time it
fore. Just when Morgan will get back in
he game is doubtful. and that he will be
missed is assured. There is no more i'm
proved ball player than Morgan. File has
come very close to being numbered among
the stars of the team this season on
what lie has shown. and to have him in
jured and out of the game is an irrepar-
q ole blow to the teams chances. Gedeon
will undoubtedly be put in his place.
while Schacfer will be kept at third UNI
til Laporte can come back. and when that
viii be no one seems to know. II he
should be able TO play he will be Shifted
back to third and Schaefer to his old po-
s:tion tomorrow. Gedeon may. of course.
fill the bill temporarily. but he is a green
hand. with little experience. who. how
ever. gives q lot of promise and, II nerve
counts for anything. he may make good.
For today Griffith has decided to
work Groom and Johnson. The former
is to go into the first game, and Will
probably be opposed by Bender. while
the latter is TO work in the second,
and will probably have one of the sew
eral young pitchers Mack is carrying
work against him. Henry and Ain
smith will do the catching. and VIII
iiams will fill the ch-hittine role
until such time as his arm shows
more strength. for it was perhaps due
to his inability to throw to second
that Mullin lost his game here Satur-
day.
1t develops that but for the accident
which sent Morgan to the hospital the
Athletics would not have scored at all
Saturday There were two out in the
sixth when Baker stole second. Griffith
says that the umpire had called MIN
out. but that when his spikes cut into
Morgan's hand he let the ball go. and.
of course, Hart reversed his decision.
That accident gave the Athletics four
runs and the game. once more showing
that the Athletics get all the breaks
when playing the Nationals.
In order to avoid the quietude which
prevails in Philadelphia Sunday some
of the players Elotored to Atlantic
City and spent the afternoon at thc
seashore Johnson. Mcbride. Milan.
Gandil and Henry made up the party
When within about fifteen miles of At
lantic City the crank shaft of their
machine was broken. and they had to
spend some time along the road wait
ing for another car. which hnaliy came
and took them to the shore resort
They returned by train. but enjoyed
their trip, nevertheless.
There is some curiosity as to how wal
ter Johnson will perform against the
Athletics today. The fact that Waiter
was hit unusually hard in the game at
Cleveland has created the impression in
certain quarters that all was not right
there Johnson says that he never felf
better than that day, but that no natter
what he put on the ball II was Wailopeu
to al corners Of the field. There have been
rumors of a signal-tipping bureau, put
that is not given credence By either Crit
fifth or Johnson. but IL is expected that
this theory will be strengthened should
Johnson display his old form in the game
this afternoon. The fact. however. should
not be overlooked that all pitchers have
days when they are easy prey Tor their
opponents, and this may have been the
case with Johnson, for, though he is a
great pitcher he Is not immune from
these occasional drubbings.
The third strike on Gandil Saturday
when the bases were full has been the
source of much discussion among the
PLAYERS. and. according TO Bender him
self il was a freak delivery. Gandil could
not understand how he missed the ball.
which he thought was fast one right
in his groove. and Yet he missed II half Z
foot. something that Chick seldom does
when he has pitcher in the hole. He
mentioned the fact to Bender after the
game. and the Indian confessed that he
did not know what happened. Il in
tended IL for fast one right over, and
threw 1t as / always do that kind of a
ball. but the blamed thing did all sorts
of funny stunts on its way TO the plate.
and then suddenly took an upward shoe:
just as you swung. If ] knew how to
throw that ball all the time no man liv-
ing would ever ge: hit off me-. is the
way Bender explained it.
If Groom and Johnson go through to-
day Engel and Hughes will probably
work in the double-header Tuesday. while
Mulln will be sent right back Wednesday.
Griffith believes that Big George is grad
ually rounding into shape. and That with
in the next week or ten days he will be
showing the same form he did for Detroit
for several years.