Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-14
RELIES ON Johnson
TO CHECK ST. LOUIS
Griffith Will Assign His Star
HurIer to Appear in
Game Today.
ALTROCK MAY BE GIVEN
CHANCE TO PITCH AGAIN
Veteran Shows He Still Pos.
sesses Ability and Cunning.
Other Base Ball Gossip.
BY j. ED GRILLO.
Special Dispatch To The Star.


Special Dispatch To- The Star.
ST. LOUIS. Mo. May lit is ono,
| more up to Walter Johnson to gain ar
even break on series. Griffith's grea
pitcher must stop the Browns today IL
| order to give the Nationals an euua
division of victories during their sta,
here. All the team needs to do Is Il
\ give Johnson run or two and he viii
probably win. but getting a run or two
is not an easy matter for Griffith:
| charges these days.
| Yesterday they We're presented with
six. and Yet could not bring home the
| bacon. because the weak end of the pitch.
ing department was working Four pitch
ers We're used by Griffith and only one
of them. Nick Altrock looked as if ht
knew what he was in the center of the
diamond for. and Nick only worked in
a single round
| That the hitting has not improved is
evidenced by the fact that only five safe
drives were made. but peculiarly enough
these. together with many passes netted
SIX runs Ordinarily there would be tai
lies TO spare under such conditions. but
none OF the pitchers could stop the other
| fellows, and the Browns won by single
| run.
For the past week or so the Nationals
| have undoubtedly proven themselves the
weakest hitting aggregation that ever
adorned a major league circuit. Every
man i'm the lineup seems to have fallen
OF in his work. and any time the pitch
ing is not gilt-edged there is no chance
/ to score victory.
/ Opportunities have been plentiful In
| fact. the team has not been in single
game which 1t could not have won had it
| been able to do any hitting at all, for let
Il no.
| the opposing pitchers have not been of a
4 very high standard. Oh. for Foster and
Gandil What difference their presence
would make. 1t is a good prediction that
II THIS pair had not been taken from the
team it would now be sailing along in
| front with quite a margin to work on
| None OF the teams which the Nationals
have met this spring would have any
| thing on them so far as playing strength
i Is concerned il the team was intact and
| few. indeed would be the games which
the opposition would take from them
If Chick was on first and Eddie at third
1t need not be at all surprising IL one
| OF these days the announcement is made
previous to game that Nick Altrock is
pitching for Washington. The veteran OF
many battles actually believes that his
pitching days are not over. He has tried
out his arm and he believes that he can
pitch again. and Griffith is sure to give
him chance. Only yesterday Altrock
went to his boss with the information that
ne was ready TO work whenever called
upon. 4 believe that there is still some
pitching left in me and l want the chance
to show" said Nick.
You shall have it, said Griff, land
that very SOON" Altrock pitched the final
inning against the Browns. This, how
ever. was not considered fair trial.
and he is very apt to start a game for
himself one of these days. His showing
| IN that final inning evidenced one thing,
and that is that Nick knows how to
pitch, and in this respect he has ii on
the entire crop of youngsters who never
know whether they are on foot or on
horseback once the bell rings.
1t being a real hot day. Griffith figured
look at Cashion; he had it, but it was
FAR from satisfactory. Cash got through
the first inning like johnson, but in
the second his old trouble overcame him,
and before he could be hauled out three
runs had tailed, and there was a man on
third. He walked Pratt retired Brief
who sacrificed. and then walked both
Austin and Walsh. filling the bases. AS
| is usually the case, Agnew came along
with three-base hit which cleared the
sacks, and Cashion was headed for the
bench. Engei who followed him, could
not prevent Agnew from scoring, and in
| the third inning became wild himself, is
sued couple of passes. and then was hit
i lOT d uOuDitt WHICH gave the bF0WHS all
other run. Gallia was absolutely inef-
| fective at the right time. and the Browns,
though they should have had ten more
runs, got a couple off him, and these
| sufficed to win the game.
| On what the young pitchers have
| shown. Engel is the only one who seems
| to have chance to make good. Yes
| terday's game is hardly a fair trial for
| Cashion. because it was his first effort
| but for all that he does not appear to
have improved AS for Gallia, it is ques-
| tionable if Griffith will pay the $500 he
| still owes Kansas City for him, but will
probably return him when he came.
I Another idol seems to have been shat
tered In the person of Earl Hamilton.
The young sOuthpaw who last season
| gave promise of being one of the best
pitchers that have broken into the game
Tor long while is nothing like he was.
| lie had no right to beat the Nationals
yesterday. He seems to have lost all his
| stuff and even lacks control. His per-
Torrance was rather sloppy one. and
| had he presented it to any team but the
| Nationals he would not have finished the
| game. let alone Won II. Here is what
| Hamilton pulled in the fourth inning
when the Nationals tied the score: Schae-
| fer started with single and Milan fol-
lowed suit Then Laporte hit long line
drive to right center. which Williams
| muffed. and the bases We're full. Nor
| gan walked. and a run was forced in, and
| then Ainsmith came up to his usual form
by striking out. Shanks, too, was an
| easy mark, without advancing any Of
| the three men on the bases. but Mcbride
/ drew a pass and another run walked
home. II was at this stage that Williams
| hitting for Engel, came through with a
] hit to right field. which sent two more
| runs home and put Mcbride OIL third
/ This pair pulled the old trick of drawing
| a throw from Hamilton 10 first. while Nc
| Bride slid home, tying the score, but
| there was nothing doing thereafter.
| Several runs have been scored BY the
| Nationals this season when left-handed
pitchers have worked by the man
lowing himself, apparently. to be caught
mapping. drawing a throw to the bag
/ from the pitcher. and while this is going
on the man on third scores. 1t was
| worked by Williams and Mcbride very
successfully yesterday and II tied the
score.
Walter Johnson was expected TO report
| yesterday morning, but sent word that
he would not be here until about noon
today. Whether the fact that he has not
had ball in his hands since Saturday
will affect his pitching remains TO be
seen. but Griffith does not think il will.
on the whole the Nationals are playing
a splendid defensive game and good ball
on the bases. All the team needs is a
few base hits and these surely should
be coming pretty soon. The most dis
lcouragins feature OF the batting lies in