Evening star., 1914-09-29
TEAM DOES WELL
IN WESTERN SERIES
Finishes Last Trip With Nine
Games Won Out of Six
teen Played.
JOHNSON TO PITCH FIRST
CONTEST WITH ATHLETICS
Walter Will Go Against Mackmen
Here Tomorrow-Other Base
Ball Gossip.
BY ]. ED GRILLO.

tionals played sixteen games on the trip
which was closed at Detroit yesterday,
and nine of these games were victories.
This, of course, is a good showing for a
team to make on the road and enables
the Griffmen to start back home In third
place, though their margin is so small
that while they are idle today the Tigers
may pass them. The team has seven
games still to play before the season Is
over. Two of these will be with the
Athletics at Washington and two at
Philadelphia, while the campaign winds
I'D with three games at Boston. In or
der to hold third place the Griffmen will
have to win a majority of these games.
and that is not going to be an easy mat
ter.
Walter johnson is slated to pitch the
first game against the champions we'd
nesday, and if Griffith carries out his
original plans Bentley will pitch the last
Thursday. The Sandy Springs youngster
has not been showing his true form Of
late, and Griffith may change his mind
and work Jim Shaw in his stead against
the champions.
DOC" Ayers has made of late brings up
the question as to whether he will be OF
any value to the pitching staff next sea-
son. Up to a month ago Ayers seemed
to be the pitching find Of the season. but
since then he seems to have lost all his
stuff and, in addition, has grown wild in
stead of having almost perfect control
There is no explanation for this de-
terioration, unless it be that Ayers had
been going ahead of his true speed early
in the season and that the batters have
now solved the mysteries of his under
hand delivery. At any rate, the doc,
has been given some severe drubbings OF
late. and he has, incidentally, not been
recently. and on several occasions he has
been driven to the tall and uncut after a
single innings experience.
1t was figured that Doc" would be
one of the teams pitching mainstays
next season. His early efforts war
ranted this belief, but since then he
has been going SO poorly that there is
now a whole lot of doubt about it.
Griffith has done little or no expert
menting this fall Aside from the fact
| that he has played Charley Pick a few
games in the outfield and pitched Dick
Williams at the finish of a couple OF
games, he is no better posted as to the
before they reported. Griffith has been
anxious to finish third in the race. and
for this reason has gone along with his
old team, not wanting to take any
chances with his youngsters The
chances. in fact, are that there will be
few, If any, changes made in the team
next season. 1t is doubtful IL any
players have been picked, up who are
superior to those now on the list, and
until such material is discovered the
present outfit will be kept intact, a
policy which it pays to follow in base
ball.
While Jack Bentley has not pitched
l. 80 l., h helC n
worked up to the standard he set jus,
before leaving home. Jack admits that
, his trouble lies in the fact that he has
lost much Of his speed and he is at a
loss to explain it, but he expects te
have 1t to spare by next spring, be-
cause he intends to spend the coming
| winter on his fathers farm and make
special effort to build himself up. fol
| he believes that he lacks the strength
| to put the right kind of stuff on the
| ball.
| Had it not been for the brilliant
| pitching of Coveleskie this season the
| Tigers would not have finished in the
| first division. The big left-hander ha:
had the best year of his career and has
! really proved himself a great pitcher
He is much more competent now thar
| he was in the days when he made {
| reputation by beating the Giants ou
of a pennant and he ought to be O.
even greater value to his team by mex
season.
| A majority of the players in tn,
American League look for the Athletics
! to make a clean sweep in the coming
worlds series. While they are loud II
their praise of what the Braves hav'
accomplished, 1t is argued that Stal
lings' team has not been against bal
team of the Athletics strength at an!
time, and that it will find victory from
| a team of this caliber Is by no mean
easily attained.
There are those who insist that tn
Braves will prove just as much of
surprise in the coming series as dit
the White Sox in 1906. when they trim
med the Cubs, team which seemed t,
outclass them three or four to one