Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-27
TEAM STILL FACES
BREAKERS AHEAD
Nationals Must Meet Athletics
in Three More Games of
Present Series.
MACK's BEST PITCHERS
YET TO TAKE MOUND
GedeOn Gives Evidence of Pos,
sessing the Ability to De-
veiop as a Great Player.
BY J. ED GRILLo.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

| PHILADELPHIA. Pa. May 27.-The
toughest portion of the series here is
still in store for the Nationals, and it
must be conceded that their prospects
are none too bright. OF the three games
played here only one has been won.
This was accomplished by using Griffith 3
best pitcher, Johnson. against trio of
Macks dubs and cannot be considered
anything more than gift. Not wanting
to take any chances by having one of his
good Pitchers beaten, Mack sent in three
of his recruits against johnson, and lost.
as he expected. But Houck and Brown,
two rather mediocre twirlers won their
games. and that makes the prospects for
annexing further victories here look
rather slim. for Bender and Plank, tho
only two stars that Mack can boast Of.
are still to work and will probably do so
today. Whenever a ball team has to
lower its colors before pitchers of the
caliber of Brown and Houck it is not en-
titled to a lot of praise for its hitting
proclivities. For a day or so, at least.
Walter Johnson is out of the way, and
Hughes and Engel will most probably per-
form today, but they will be up against
Bender and Plank. and there is no dis
guising the fact that their chances are
slim. when the batting strength of the
Nationals is taken into consideration
Hughes and Engel may pitch brilliant
ball. but they need some offensive sup
port, and that is hardly to be expected
against pitchers of the Bender-Plank type,
Judged on what the men of Griffith have
been doing with the bat of late. So
there is no reason for figuring that the
remaining games here will serve to boost
the Nationals standing. though, of
course. all hope for the best.
That Walter Johnson has not lost any
| hot he he
pitched in Cleveland. when he suffered
his first defeat of the season. was not a
display of his true form, was demon
strated Yesterday, when Walter pitched
one of his brilliant games without ever
extending himself after the first inning
had been played. There should not have
been run scored by the former cham
plons while Johnson was on the rubber.
The lone tally which the Athletics an
neXed was the result of wild throw
by Ainsmith, and. aside from it. there
never was a chance for the opposition
to get near the coveted goal.
Johnson had something. His fast ball
was like bullet. and while he used but
one curve ball during the entire time
that he was on the rubber. he showed
one in the opening round which demon
strated that he could use it IL 1t were
necessary If the truth were told,
Johnson looked better yesterday than at
any time this season He loafed through
the game. once his side got lead. and
Griffith intends to use him in one OF the
other three games that remain to be
played here
If Mr.. Griffith has been worrying be-
! cause Of the inability of three of his in
felders to be in the game 1t would seem
| time to look at the sunny side of the
proposition, for there is evidence to pro-
duce which would indicate that he has
a very capable young man in Joe Ged-
| con. Though he has been in decidedly
few games this spring this young man
was given an opportunity to show his
real worth i'll the second game yeSter-
! day. He broke in when Laporte retired
after the second inning and he gave
| very satisfactory account of himself. He
! has never been used at third base be-
| fore, but after Griffith saw him in action
| there yesterday he ought to feel we'll
| satisfied that he has another player be-
| sides Foster and Laporte who fill
| that position to a queens taste. Gedeon
! was very much in evidence He took
care OF everything that came his way
in the field. making but one mistake.
| throw to first when Collins had a bunt
beaten and. incidentally. he looked like
a Hans Wagner at the bat. making
! single and a triple, both of which pro-
duced runs. and on another occasion hit
ting sharp drive over second. OF which
Barry made circus stop. And talk
about pepper and nerve. Why. there
never was a kid-and Gedeon is all that
for he is but nneteen-to break into
the majors. who could compare with
him. lie is just full of nerve and conf
dence. Right Gedeon considers
himself one of the niftiest players ir
the league. and he doesn't mind admit
ting 1t. There sure is future for thai
young man
If Grifhths batsmen were not too de-
| termined to wait out every pitcher and
would display more confidence In the con-
troll of some of the youngsters the chances
are that they would be hitting much
better than they do.
! Houck shut them out yesterday simply
because they insisted on waiting him out
when there were men on the bases in
stead Of taking chance and wallOping
occasionally. even If the ball was an inch
| or so away from the plate. The result
| was that most of the batters who faced
Houck in the tight places were in hole
before they had as much as swung at
the ball. and that, of course. gave the
young pitcher a big advantage. 1t is by
no means necessary for a ball to cut the
middle Of the plate to be hit hard. Ex-
perience has taught that many Of the
most timely hits, and most damaging ones
as we'll. on palls that were never
intended to be offered at. yet there seems
| to be hesitancy on the part of many
of the Nationals to take such chances.
and consequently they are constantly
playing into the hands of the opposing
pitchers With the penalty which the
foul strike rule puts on the batter it is
serious mistake to do much waiting at
the plate. A wild swing now and then
is no more harmful than to have the
batter stand at the plate with his bat
resting on his shoulder Pitchers fear a
team which takes chances at the bat, for
il is just as dangerous to keep the ball
a little inside or outside as 1t is to put
1t over the center Of the plate.
The more one sees Of the team which
is being given credit for having a good
chance to win the pennant this year the
more convincing becomes the fact that 1t
is not going to require a particularly
high-class aggregation to come first In
the present campaign
Even this once wonderful combination
over which Mack presides. though it is
leading would not have a chance in
series with we'll balanced opponent. AL
the pitchers that Mack can point to and
call them regulars are Bender and Plank.
The rest of the bunch ought never to win
ball game from a real team. Then
when YOU begin to dissect that outfield
you meet with more disappointment. and
aside from Lapp Mack hasn't a catcher
who belongs In this company. Thomas
is out Of it with lame arm. and Shang.
the recruit. is much too inexperienced
even to be considered. Mack has a won