Evening star., 1914-04-20
Nationals Manager Sends
Musser to Los Angeles Pa
cific Coast League Club.
CHICAGO's GREAT START
NOT WORRYING GRIFFITH
The "0ld Fox Says His Club Will
Beat Out the White Sox.
Ayers to Pitch.
BY J. ED GRILLo.

4
used the pruning knife or his pitching
staff. Paul Musser is the victim and
| the Los Angeles club of the Pacific
| Coast League the beneficiary Whlle
Musser showed much improvement over
| his previous engagement with the team,
| Griffith has come to the conclusion that
| he does not need him. and has farmed
| him out to the club mentioned.
| This will be Musser's second engage
| ment with the Los Angeles club. He
was sent there by Griffith during the
| latter part of the season of 1912, but
| did not return the following spring.
| Musser will b a teammate of Long
| Tom Hughes. who. from all accounts. is
making good on the coast
! White Sox is not causing the slightest
| worry so far as Manager Griffith IS
| concerned. In fact, he is very wei
| pleased that the Callahan crew is sail
| ing out in front but he predicts that
| it's good showing is going to be short
| lived. Nothing apparently would suit
! Griffith better than to have the present
race settled down s;, to contests test between Pct
| diets that his team will beat out the
! Chicago contingent beyond a doubt, for
| he does not believe that the Sox have
! the qualities a team requires to finish
! first.
That the Sox are winning is not sur
prising," said Griffith. They have
played something like sixty exhibition
| games in the west before the season
opened and undoubtedly are in the best
possible condition. But wait till June
comes around and you will find them
slipping. The players will be stale
and they will lose much of the ground
! they will have gained during the early
weeks of the race. Calahan's team
! hasn't a chance to win the pennant
f! in my judgment. If Ed Walsh should
| come back and be good ever
! not case on record where a great
! pitcher has come back after showing
that he has lost his cunning.
| Speaking of the Athletics stamp.
Griffith remarked:
"Mack's team, of course. will get to
going in time. but j hope that their
present slump continues as long as pos
sible. I'd like to see that team have a
real uphill fight on its hands and it
might prove a disappointment in the
present flag struggle. Understand, l
am not making any claim for my team
further than to say that it is going to
be a contender which. with break,
will come near to finishing on top.
Present conditions are decidedly favor
able, in my judgment. Let Chicago win
and Philadelphia lose. that suits me to
a t..
1t is more than likely that Doc Ayers
will be sent to the slab in todays game.
His work in the game at Boston was of
such high class, notwithstanding that
! he was defeated, that Griffith has every
confidence in him to make good. and he
| is to have his second chance today, un-
| less Griffith changes his mind. Tuesday
! Joe Boehlins will be sent back. He will
| have enjoyed three days rest and ought
to be at his best Though 1t Is not Grif-
| fith's intention to use Johnson here in
| any of the remaining three games of the
! series, he will not send him home until
| him around in the event of emergency.
| McHale will most likely be Chances
selection today. and as he shut out the
| Athletics last week he may make it in
| teresting for the Nationals.
| In some respects Walter Johnsons per-
| formance Saturday was most remarkable.
| While it is true that he did not show his
usual form, being wild in nearly every
| inning, the fact that he held the Yankees
| to four hits was surely an achievement
| of which the average pitcher would have
| reason to be proud.
| When johnson warmed up, prior to the
game he seemed to be in his best form.
| according to his own staten nt. but after
getting his hands in contact with the pc
| culiar soil of the Polo grounds, which
makes the ball decidedly slippery. he was
at a great disadvantage. Notwithstand
| ing this handicap he managed to hold his
| opponents in check, and all things con-
| sidered. pitched a remarkable game OF
| ball
| Though every precaufion will be taken
to Offset the effect of the soil on the bail
by having the pitchers rosin during
| the games to be played here, the ele-
| vated pitching sab also is a handicap to
any one not accustomed to it. 1t is
hinted here that this raise of the slab
has not been done with John McGraw's
knowledge, and that it will be lowered
just as soon as the Giants come home
| the rest Of the Nationals pitchers will
fare under these conditions, though Grif-
fifth believes that Ayers will be able to
| retain his control.
| 1t is decidedly fortunate for the Ma
| tionals that those players who are not
| counted to do much of the hitting
are coming through at this time, when
the real hitterS the team not in
their stride 1t is to this fact that the
victories which have been scored can be
attributed. That in due time Gandil and
Morgan will get to going stands to rea-
to come more easily. On the whole. the
| Nationals are in fine shape, and this is
! particularly true of the pitchers. With
an Improvement in the hitting the team
is apt to win majority of its games on
the present trip As matters now stand,
the club has but to win one more game to
have an advantage on its first stay on
foreign grounds.
| 1t is now generally conceded around
the American League circuit that
! the defensive strength of the Ma
tionals is greater than that of
| any of its rivals. There Is no
| team harder to score on. for the very
good reason that its pitchers are most
| effective and 1t is blessed with re-
| markable set of fielders in both the in
| and outfield. In addition to this it has
| in Henry and Ainsmith a pair of capable
| backstops, both of whom can throw ac-
curately and with great speed.
| On no less than three occasions this
| spring have Foster and Moeiler success
| fully pulled the hit-and-run game, for
| which they are famous The first year
| that this pair was with the Nationals
| this feature was worked a good deal. but
| last season it was seldom made possible
| by reason of the illness of Foster, who
| was not in good form after he rejoined
| the team.
| Having the reputation of pulling this
| play more often than any other pair in
| the league. opposing teams are usually
badly fretted when Moeller is on first
| and Foster at the bat. They never know
| what to expect, and quite frequently
| enough balls are wasted trying to break
| up the hit-and-run play to give Foster
| decided advantage over the pitcher.
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