Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-04
|PO0R FORM SHOWN
BY GR|FF'S TEAM
Seems to Be Only Question of
Time Before 1t Falls Into
Second Division.
PITCHING STAFF WORKING
MUCH BELOW STANDARD
General Deterioration Is Evident in
Play of the Whole
Organization.
BY ]. ED GRuLo.

/ NEW YORK september At appears
to be only question of time when the
Griffmen will be foundering around in
| the second division. The team is going
! from bad to worse, and the looked
| for improvement in its work seems as
distant now as it has for several weeks.
The fielding and hitting spirit and dis
play of judgment are lacking and the
wonder is that the team has not fallen
| lower in the race than 1t is
Nor is there any particular spot where
! the blame can be placed; it seems to be
| general deterioration. Yesterdays game
| here saw the Nationals looking worse
than they have at any time this season.
During the early innings the team re-
minded one of naggregation which had
| just been corralled from the bushes, and
the Yankees. of course, heaped up runs
| enough to insure them of a victory be-
| fore the game had gotten well under
way.
| Griffith appears to be at his wits end.
He has talked to his players, and most
| OF them, no doubt. are as much annoyed
by the poor showing as he; but there is
| no Improvement
| Alter yesterdays game some Of the
| players felt that a change was about at
| hand and that the squad had ridded IT.
! self OF all its poor base ball, and would
win In the future, but that remains to be
seen. w
| To add to the teams troubles, Doc
| ayers, Tor the first time this season,
| proved an easy mark for opponents yes-
terday. He was hit numerically hard
| curing the two innings he OBLIGATED on
| the slab, and that is unusual for Doc.
Nothing that he pitched seemed to fool
the batters, and there was nothing fuky
| him.
Harper, who took his place, gave a most
amateurish exhibition of fielding and
| griffith took him out after two men had
| faced him, both of whom got on because
OF Harper,s weakness in fielding Bent
| iey' VINO followed. looked fair in spots,
but needs to be worked more If he is to
| develop into reliable pitcher.
Just why most of the hits made on
| these grounds are not home runs ia a
| mystery. There were two circuit drives
yesterday, either Of which would have
| been easy outs on the Washington field.
| Malsefs, In the first, was a high pop fly
which fell into the left-feld stands. and
| Gandil popped up one which struck the
upper tier in the right-field stands and
\ would have been caught easily enough on
| an open field.
There was crowd of about LOCO in the
| stands to greet the Nationals, and it ia a
safe prediction that many Of these en-
| Giants playing double-headers right over
| in brooklyn, the attendance during the
| series here Is bound to be Door
Chance has whipped together a fairly
good looking ball club which is trying to
win every game 1t gets into. The Peer
| less Leader has his charges hustling.
and there is good chance for him to fin.
ish at the top of the second division.
which seems to be his ambition.
Rippy Williams had bad day of 1t.
win the young pitchers failing to hold
! runners on and things breaking badly
| the Yankees took lot of liberties on the
bags, and five pliers are credited to
| tnem. incidentally, some of Rippy's pegs
We're wide of the mark and for once he
| did not come through with a hit
Wally Smith is showing to much bet
| ter advantage at second than when he
| was placed there some weeks ago. He
also looks more formidable at the bat,
! hitting the ball hard every time I'D yes
terday. His line drive in the fourth in
ming came with the bases full, but it was
right at DAILY, or it would have been
; good for cleaning purposes instead of
acting as sacrifice fly.
Jim Shaw will in all probability be
worked against the Yankees today Which
of Chances pitchers will be used is not
known. but judging by the way the Ma
tionals have been hitting that is Of lit
| tie consequence.
| 1t is settled that Johnson will work in
the final game here Saturday. In the
event of the game getting over early
enough the Nationals will take an early
train out of here, and arrive in Washing
| ton lot Cof, nj
The Nationals are to play two games
with the Athletics Monday morning and
afternoon. Just what pitchers Griffith
will have ready by that time Is ques-
| tionable. for with Johnson working Sat
urday. he will be out of the question.
Ayers will. by that time. probably be
| the only available man. With Engel and
Boehling both on the hospital list Grit
| fifth is rather short-handed.
| Under the circumstances it might be
| policy for Griffith to try out his young
! sters and work them regularly in the
| hope Of developing them as much as
possible during the remainder of the sea-
! son. There is no chance for the Ma
tionals to finish very high in the race.
1t is decidedly doubtful if they can re-
tain third place. and it might pay to put
] Acosta into the outf1eld regularly and
use Bentley and Harper in turn, SO that
by the time the season ends these young
sters would either have been developed
considerably or will have proven that
little Is to be expected OF them In the