The Washington times., 1914-07-23
GRIFFMEN LEAVE TOWN
TONIGHT FOR ST. LOUIS;
RETURN ON AUGUST Is
pete Tour of the Frontier New York After Making Conn.,
petite Tour of the Fronter-Team CIngng to Third
Place, But Margin Is Mighty Small.
By THOMAS KIRBY.

Immediately after the game today the
Nationals will board a train to start
the second invasion Of the West To-
morrow the team will spend the day
on a train bound for St. Louis. Satur-
day the series with the Browns will
be opened. This set will continue
through to Wednesday. when the team
will move on to Detroit to engage the
Tigers in a four-game series.
Sunday, August 2, will find the Griff-
men in Cleveland. and on August Z
tie team will be in Chicago. After the
end of this set the club will move East
again, and on August Ii they will be
aastiming at Philadelphia On August
IL the Griffs go to New York. and af-
ter one game with the Highlanders the
Nationals will come home.
Despite the defeat of yesterday the
Nationals are today hanging on to third
place by the margin Of one point. trail
ing Boston and leading Detroit
Through the victory over Cleveland
the Athletics opened I'D the gap. and the
Philadelphians now have their most
commanding lead that they have pos
sessed for the past two or three weeks.
sidered almost invtncfble on the home
grounds. and the most severe test they
will have during the whole season will
come when they hit the trail and OPP
post the Western clubs in the invasion
which starts tomorrow. II they can
hang on to their present lead while they
are on foreign fields their chances OF
repeating their success of last year
will be greatly EXCHANGED: if they fall
down in the west the race will simply
be Intensified.
1t was expected that Mike Mitchell,
the outfielder obtained from Pittsburgh,
would report here yesterday. But he
wired his new chief that he had some
personal affairs to close I'D. and would
take a train direct to st. Louis. Grit
fifth was particularly anxious to have
him here at once, and has notified
him that he should be here today.
When the Nationals entrain this af-
ternoon every one on the rolls will be
taken along with the exception Of
Clyde Milan. who may be SO far re-
covered that he will be able to join
his comrades at Philadelphia on Au-
gust IL.
The Nationals yesterday gave one
of the sorriest exhibitions Of baseball
that they have been guilty Of this year.
Thev had an excellent chance of scoring
a victory because of the wobbly condi-
ton of Urban Faber. one Of Chicago's
principal assets. and when they went
into the ninth inning with an even
count. IL appeared as though they might
eventually win out. But then they
blew.
In the eighth inning George Mcbride
was on third. and 1t looked as though
Griffith should have injected A. WILL
Jams into the game to hit for John
Henry Henry tried the squeeze play,
but missed the ball. and the captain
was out by yards. With this play the
Nationals chances vanished, as IL was
a cinch for the white Sox to break up
what was calculated to be a matter Of
strategy.
Then came Chicago's ninth with four
runs that ended the whole thing.
When John Henry missed the squeeze
he was subjected to such an avalanche
Of adverse criticism that his work in