Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-11
BY J. ED GRILLo.

Frank Chances team is not apt to
finish In last place this season. If
there is enough pitching material on
the New York staff that team is go
Ing to prove one of the surprises OF
the race. Chance has better team
than he has been given credit for. and
1t was a noticeable fact that the play
ers are displaying "a much different
spirit from what they did last sea-
son. With Chance playing the bag
that infield will look pretty good. and
Cree, Wolter and Daniels are a much
better. outfield than several other teams
In the American League can boast or
Under Chance the team will not only
play intelligent ball. but it will hustle
to the utmost. and such a combination.
IL it is helped by good pitching, is not
going to finish near the bottom
Chance was not in the game yester-
day. He found that his injured leg
did not respond to treatment as
quickly as he expected. and he found
1t much too stiffened to get into the
game. He sent Sterrett to first in
stead and that young man gave very
good account of himself. The visitors
PLAYED splendid ball and left very
good impression with the crowd which
witnessed the game
Howard Sflanks, like Eddie Foster. does
not seem to play his best ball until there
is something at stake. In none OF the eX-
hibition games this spring has Shanks
displayed the same ability that marked
his work last season. and yet in the open
ing game yesterday he did much to make
the victory for his team possible. His
throw in tthe third whereby he nailed
Wolter at the plate was one of
the features of the game, and incidentally
cut off a run which might have been hard
to overcome. Ordinarily Cree would have
had three-base hit, but as he is habit
ual right field hitter. the Nationals out
field leaned toward that field. This
brought Shanks In behind short field.
Cree's liner went in that direction and
would have been triple had Shanks not
played properly for him. AS it was he
got the ball on the first bound and threw
accurately and on line to Ainsm!th at
the plate and caught Wolter by several
feet.
Shanks also did good work with the
stick. and probably saved the game in the
ninth when he pulled down Lelivelts fly.
which the wind was carrying away from
him. There was a imam on first at the
time and two out, a1n had the ball gotten
away from him the score would surely
have been tied.
No team ever had worse luck during the
early innings in that hard-hit balls were
| handled by the opposition than did the
Nationals YESTERDAY LII tie very IlFSt
| inning Milan's line drive went right at
! Young and a double play resulted Noel
| Ter being caught off third. In the
! fourth inning. with the bases full
| Shanks hit a sharp liner toward, third.
Hartzell managed to get his hands on the
ball, but the force was so great that he
! could not hold it. He picked it up in
| time to force Morgan at third, and an
| other chance, for runs went glimmering.
| Even on days when Walter johnson is
not at his best he is brilliant. Yester-
! day was such an occasion. Walter was
| not up to his usual standard, yet. but
| for Gantiirs error in the first he would
| have had a shut-out to his credit. But
+! Walter was hit more frequently than he
usually is. He seemed to work with some
| difficuity, probably because of the cool
| weather, but when a base hit meant
runs he managed to escape without any
! damage being done. When Johnson
| strikes out but three men he is not him
| self, He averages more strfke-outs than
| that game vet that was all he scored
yesterday and two of these came in the
| very first inning.
Considering the rather Indictment wealth
er which prevailed the attendance yes
terday was splendid. Had 1t been warm