Evening star., 1915-04-06
.PH|tL|ES T0PLAY
FINAL GAME TODAY
Ayers and Bentley Picked to
Do Pitching Against
Moran's Team.
CONNELLY OF G. U. TO
CONFER WITH GRIFFITH
Collegian May Join Nationals Late
in Season-Base Ball
Gossip.
BY j. ED GRILLO.

-
Doc Ayers and Jack Bentley will do
the pitching against the Phillies in
their final appearance of the season
here today. Opposed to them. Will
proba bly, be- Demaree. tne ftranertHant
and Baumgardner. college pitcher
The game will be called at $50 o'eIpc K.
Manager Griffith had the players in
dulge in bunting practice FOR fully an
hour this morning. ;PracriGe of this
kind is most necessary. because the
locals have never been very efficient
in this respect and many games have
been lost simply because Some player
failed to make sacrifice With which
to advance a. couple of runners.
Griffith wai4ts to improve his players
in this respect, and he Intends to give
them a lot of bunting practice every
day for a time. III the hope that they
will overcome this weakness.
= 1t is understood that Third Basenraa
Connolly of the Georgetown College
team is TO have a conference with
Manager Griffith some time this. after
noon with reference to oahis agreeing to
join the Nationals when the college
season is ended. Fonhellg is believed
to be one of the best. college players
now in harness, and il is thought he
He is a natural hitter and he also is fast
on his feet
Wilbert Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers
will be the attraction at the local park
tomorrow. They VIII play games We'd
nesday and Thursday and then the Bos
ton Braves will put in an appea rance
here Friday AND Saturday. The Giants
are to be the attraction Monday. Tues !
day is an off day to rest the players
for the opening game Wednesday with
the Yankees.
The prediction that the Nationals
pitching staff gave every promise of
getting splendid start in the coming
race was once more verified yesterday,
when the Phillies We're shut out by
Harper and Johnson, making the sec
ond consecutive whitewash the locals
have inflicted on National League
teams.
Despite the, fact that Harper hand
ed out seven passes in the five innings
ne of11ciated on the rubber, he never
~theless held his opponents scoreless
and allowed them but one scratch hit
Harper was unusually wild, and it was
this falling which made his work all
the more impressive, for he was in
tight places on several occasions, yet
got out of them with a whole hide
Johnson demonstrated he is about
ready to take his turn on the rubber
by clever work in the four innings he
pitched. The Philles hit him sa fely
three times, but could not get near the
plate, and FIVE of them were turned
back by the strike-o1t route.
Manager Griffith intends to use Harry
Harper in every series after the sea-
son opens. He will pitch one of the
games against New York, which team
opens the season here next week, and
If he shows proper form he will be
used against every other team sched-
uled to play the Nationals. Griffith be-
iieves that Harper can win a majority
of his games and he wants TO- use him
regularly now that he is showing good
form. Furthermore. Harper will stand
a chance to overcome his present weak
nesses better while pitchTng-in cham
pionship games than by pra cticing and
not actually getting into the contests.
Harper has a lot to learn about watch
ing the bases, but he has world of
natural ability and is picked to make
a star left hander in due time.
Alexander, who pitched four innings
for the Phillies yesterday, is recog
nized one of the greatest pitchers
the game has ever developed. He
works without the slightest exertion
and has a world of stuff. He was
scored on twice yesterday, yet display
ed good form, considering that it is
still early in the spring Alexapder
is sure to be one of the leading pitch
ers in the National League again this
campaign. .
Dan Moeller had remarkable day at
the bat. His first trip to the plate re-
suited in a hit. Twice after that he
walked, and on the last occasion he
made a neat sacrifice, advancing Ain-
smith and Johnson, thus having a per-
centage of / 900 for the day.
Milan is hitting betters this spfing
than ever before at : this time of>-tfe
year 1t is usually not until the season
is Uell under way that Mffah begins
to hit his stride with thf bat. but this
spring he has been most consistent
performer Yesterday "Zeb' played an
| important part in the NATIONALS scor-
| ing with two well placed singles, the
first scoring Moeller in the opener and