Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-30
JOHNSON TOWORK
AGAIN TOMORROW
Griff Determined to Try to Win
the One Remaining Game
With Athletics.
TODAY'S CONTEST CALLED
OFF BY MANAGER MACK
Doc Ayers Is Held to Deserve
Much Credit for His Perform
ances This Spring.
BY J. ED GR1LLo.

| Walter Johnson is sure to pitch the re.
naming game. Friday, of the presen,
series. as Griffith is determined to make
| every effort to win the rubber contest
Todays game was called off on account
of rain.
There are two reasons for working
| Walter twice in this series. In the frs
place Griffith has been convinced tina
the Athletics are far from being at thei
best now and that there is a good chanc,
to beat them, and, incidentally, he want
SO to arrange the working order of hi
pitchers that johnson will always pitcl
the final game of a series instead of tn,
| opening one.
1t was rather stupid bit OF base bal
on the part of the Athletics which mad,
| the triple play possible in the sixth. Witt
second and third occupied, the score tiec
| and none out, it looked like a good pla,
! to let Barry hit it out The infield wa!
playing in, and almost any sort Of a hi
would have Melted two runs and long
fly one. But perhaps it was the unex.
pected that the champions were pulling
| for after Barry had two balls on him
the signal for the squeeze play was
| given, and both McInnis and Strunl
started for the plate with Ayers motion
Barry popped up a little fly close to the
| first base foul line. 1t was over Gandils
| head, but he stuck up his mitt, the ball
| landed in it. and. quick as a flash, he
heaved the ball to Foster at third. retir-
I ing McInnis. 1t Is needless to say that
| Foster knew what to do with the ball,
and he sent 1t to Mcbride. who had no
trouble touching Strunk, and the SIDE
was out. Triple plays are rare in base
ball. Yesterdays was the hrst IN the
American League this season and the sec
ond of the entire season, the Giants hav-
ing made one a few days ago.
That there is a better chance now for
the Nationals to win games from the
Athletics than there is apt to be later IS
plainly shown by the weakness OF the
champions play in the two games here.
Mack's team Is far from being In form
and there does not appear to be COM
petent pitcher ready to work just YET.
Now is the time for the Nationals to
make hay, for in a month from now the
Mackmen are apt to be going at their
normal gait, and then the trick is not
easy.
Plank will work against the Nationals
Neither is said to be ready. and Mack
wants to give them plenty of time to ut
themselves. OF the youngsters nothing Is
feared though, of course. one OF them
ner But the Nationals chances are I'M
doubtedly better now than they have been
in some time.
Eddie Foster continues to do yeoman
service for the team. His hitting is moth
ing short of remarkable, because he
places them all to the best advantage
In the third inning YESTERDAY he came
through and sent Engel to third with
hit to right. In the first inning he drove
a liner at Collins. and in the ninth he
started the round with clean hit TO
center.
The switching of the batting order,
which placed Henry under Gandil and
dropped Morgan to the berth the Ma
tionals' catchers have held heretofore
worked like a charm, John Henry getting
the hit which gave the Nationals the two
runs in the seventh inning. when the
score was tied. The team as whole
showed a lot of improvement with the
stick, Gandil hitting viciously, but IN
hard luck, notwithstanding the fact that
he got a couple of safe drives. His hit in
the third, with two on. was a line drive
to deep center, for which Strunk did not
have to move, and the next time up he
hit one of the longest drives Of the game,
but Strunk was camping out near the
fence and caught the ball. Morgan also
got a hit yesterday, a screeching two
Dagger in the eighth. which was the
hardest ball he has hit this spring.
Joe Engel seemed to have things his
own way during the second, third, fourth,
and fifth innings, retiring the side in or
der and showing lot Of stuff, but he be-
gan to slip in the sixth and was taken
out after the score had been tied.
Doc Ayers deserves a lot of credit for
the games he has pitched this spring. He
has been effective in every one of them
and yesterday got out of the worst kind
| of hole. though it took triple play to
do it. But Ayers is sure to make his
mark.
| The fact that he has perfect control
!, makes him of value, and the only man on
| the team who is competent to get on the
| rubber in pinch. Doc was hit safely
| twice during the period that he per-
/ formed, and both of the hits were of
| scratch variety.
| Having been convinced by John Henry S
| batting this spring that the big catcher
| Is a much improved hitter. Griffith very
wisely has moved him up to Morgan's
old position, where he made good yester-
| day Had either Morgan or Shanks been
hitting this spring there would be mighty
| few defeats charged to the Nationals to
I date 1t is not stretching the facts when
| it is said that in every game this season
one or the other has had at least one
chance to win the game with a base hit,
| and Morgan has never come through,
! though it must be said for Shanks that
! on two different occasions he saved the
| day with a two-bagger.
| The change in the batting order will
! be continued indefinitely. regardless of
| whether Henry or any of the other
catchers are working. though, II Morgan
! improves and gets back to his batting
| form, he will be returned to his old
| place.
Defensively. the Nationals are playing
| the most efficient game of their career
The work of both the in and out field Il
the superior Of that Of any of its rivals
and it also might be said that the pitch
ing this season has been Of the highest
! order, and had the offensive support
been up to the standard not a game
would have been lost.
i Yesterdays game required two hourf
i and forty minutes to play. The struggle
4 dragged lamentably. and no one blu,
i Umpire Egan was to blame for it In
4 the local papers this morning Mr.. Egar
is coming in for round scoring because
Il Of his dilatory tactics. and, no doubt
4 and call the Jump to task. There is
nothing more tiresome than a long
4 drawn-out game such as this was, and
there wassn no occasion for it, either.
!! Bressier and Boardman, both of whon
worked in yesterdays game. are big
strapping men. who may be developed
into mighty good pitchers. though, the.
are still very green. Neither is apt Il
be of much help to the champions thi.
!, season, however. In fact unless the un