The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-24
PIRATES ARE mot
SO SURE OF flag
Blow Administered by Giants
Causes Team to Lose
Confidence.

The Giants so far. have again shown
themselves TO be a good road team. Also.
the kick that they handed the Pirates In
the first series OF the Western trip did a
good deal toward convincing the Pitts
burgh boys that there is long way be-
tween leading the league In May and q
Championship. The Pirates did not feel
so sure Of getting into the next worlds
series when we left as when we arrived.
do you think you are going to win the
pennant?" some one asked Fred Clarke
while the Giants were in Pittsburgh.
If they stopped the race right nov
we would replied Clarke.
The showing OF the Pirates against the
Giants proved what i have frequently
said about wagner's value to the club.
The big German was out Of the game
with a spiked hand when the New York
team was in Pittsburgh. and the Pirate
infield which did so much damage
throughout the West carly In the season.
looks bad minus Wagner. AS I have hint
ed heretofore. Clarke has not the Sec
orfiary strength TO carry him through
any hospital list.
The Giants do not fear the Pirates as
much now as We did before we left home.
Our club has always been able to beat
Pittsburgh consistently. especially at
Forbes Field, and we certainly ran true
to form on this trip. Then, the Giants
have taken big batting brace recently,
which is encouraging to McGraw. as the
team was very weak with the stick ear
lier in the season. Also. what was con-
sidered before the race to be one OF the
weak spots of the team has turned out
to be one of the strongest. I refer to
third base.
Little Milton Stock has been playing
great ball for us there and has been con-
trjbuting his share Of hits and more. IL
Stock can keep up the present pace-and
! see no reason why he should not-no-
body will recall the fact of Shafer's de-
sertion in another month. Stock looks
like one OF the best third basemen who
has been turned up out of the minor
league soil for some years. He has nat
ural ability and steadiness. Nothing wor-
ries him. and he is a hard worker, with
lots Of ambition. a quality that Shafer
lacked. Shafer had temperament
Giants should Repeat.
greatly improved since the club left New
York / will admit now that l was pretty
gloomy over the outlook, and so were the
rest of the boys the day before our de-
parture. because the team had not been
hitting a lick at home.
But the hitting improved as soon as We
struck the road, and the Giants booked
like a team of sluggers again in Pitts |
burgh. while the much-feared Pirates
showed none of the great strength that
we expected to see The club is still slow |
on the bases. as II has been for the past |
several seasons II requires lot of bat |
ting to get base runner around OF course |
that batting order carries a punch. fifth !
nearly every man in IL a good sticker, |
but speed is generally required to win |
pennants nowadays, and the Pirates have |
not speed. Clarke's club has always been |
easy for the Giants anyway, as one team |
1ften appears to have the Indian sign on !
some other even when the makeup Of the |
Two teams change from season to season. |
For instance. in their best days, the Cubs |
we're generally weak against Brooklyn |
rhen the Superbas were second division |
travellers. while Chicago could always |
give the Giants a terrible battle. The |
Yankees usually had il on Detroit up to |
this year. while the Tigers are strong |
against the Athletics. Pittsburgh mas |
never been able to beat the Giants con- |
,istently.
Therefore, all the New York players |
feel much better about the worlds cham |
pionship dough since that Pirate series OF !
1 week ago. WeNhad a notion that the |
Siub Hdu btcn Cndflecu tHis year anu WIS I
much stronger, but it did not look any |
better to us than II has for the past three !
years when We have beaten il. And the !
pitching staff, which was supposed to be |
crashing through the league. moving |
Town the hitters. served as nourishment |!
hat revived lot of batting averages |
among the Giants. which sadly needed a |
lose of tonic.
wagHer's Loss Felt.
wagner's injury to his hand was not |
serious. but let him get injured SO that he
s forced to lay of for several weeks
md watch that team fall through the |
eague. He is the big factor in the Pitts
,urgh victories, for his playing holds the |
club together. Clarke Is also weak in |
secondary strength behind the Dat and |
vas making strenuous efforts to pick up
another seasoned catcher when the Giants |
we're at Forbes Field. He even thought !
" John Killing, figuring that John could I
20 In there and catch some heady ball in |
,ase Gibson was laid up. As II Is now,
Clarke can never swing a man in to run Y
or Gibson when he needs a run badly,
Is McGraw does for Meyers, because !!
Clarke has no one on whom he can de- /
,end to do any consistent catching after 1
aking the heavy-footed Gibson out OF
he game. The Giants faced Pittsburgh i
sith one Of the best infielders on our club I
tut Of the lineup, and yet 1t did not seem |
o affect the team much. Larry Doyle
rad touch Of tonsiiitis and could not
work. McGraw had Grant to fill in. That
s where the great strength of the Giants l
ies-on the bench.
Now that our club has started to HIT"
:emarked McGraw as We were leading /
'ittsburgh. I'm not worrying much
.bout the rest Of the games to be played /
n the West This batting slump has
'een keeping me awake all spring.
The spirit among the players is alto /
,ether different. too. Almost every big l.
easuer will crouch around and be q
crab when he Is not getting his hits,
IND the New York gang was the worst
\ the world until we reached Pitssbursh. |,
That batting diet out there was brAcine !