Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-26
EARLY SEASON sPURTs
ARE MAJOR SENSATIONS
Phillies Make Runaway Race, Will,
Tigers Also Went
Strong.
MoRAN's WORK REAL SURPRISE
Stripped Of Stars, Reorganized Team
Looks Like Well-I3aIanced Ma
clline-Giants Prove Big Disap-
pointmcnt to Their Followers.

Early season spurts by major league
clubs featured the first full week OF
play this year.
Philadelphia has made almost q run
away out OF it in the National, while
Detroit has played an almost equally
impetuous part in the Ban Johnson di-
vision. II was only yesterday that the
Phillics were stopped I'm the head,ong
career. after winning eight straight
victories. The Tigers lost two of the
hrst four games played. but made
clean sweep last week.
The performance of Pat Moran's re-
organized club has attracted most at
tention probably because Of it's unex-
pectedness. Stripped of such stars rs
Seaton. Doolan, Lobert and Magee, the
Phiilies. strangely enough. so far have
looked more like a well-balanced ball
cruz than any team that has repre-
scented the Home City in the National
circuit in many years. The new man
aEer seems to have the men working
we'll together, and to have made ten
strike in the discovery of Bancroft,
whose play at short has made a smooth
working combinations out OF the intield.
with an inheld whose ail-round merit
is attracting favorable comment and q
pitching staff, which includes Alex
ander and the rejuvenated Chalmers,
there appears to be no reason why the
luak City team should not keep we'll
toward the front.
Giants Had Poor Week.
AS notable in It's way S the record
of the Phladelphias, is that of the for
mer champion New Yorks. McGraw's
team went through the week without a
victory. In some ways the team seems
St ~ nul Iop lac to-,
mostly have shown poor form. and the
batting is below the clubs average.
Christy Mathewson has lost both his
starts ann has appeared anything but
the Mathewson of old.
Cincinnati has done eXcellently in, the
West, hinding St Louis easy and play
ing Pittsburgh to a standstill. Chi
cago Boston and Pittsburgh are close
together in the midway contingent,
with st. Louis aud Brooklyn not far
away, and the Giants in the rear.
In the American League the good
work of tho New Yorks has pcen per-
haps more noteworthy than anything
except the Tigers squirt. Nothing
picases the Yankees more than to beat
Walter Johnson, and this achievement
yesterday had added to 1t the salts
faction of showing Ray Caldwell in
suporhne form and giving promise OF
proving a mig percentage gamer for
the team this year.
The Nationals kept pace with them
however, in victories, and the two
teams are fighting il out now for sec
ond place with the chances naturally
favoring Clark Griffith's men, whose
pcnnant ambitions are stronger than
ever this year.
Cleveland Ia Surprising Fans.
The Bostons, admittedly n club OF
large promise, hardly have come up to
expectations so far. while the Cleve-
lands have done better than watchers
of the game anticipated.
Hard luck in the shape of injuries
to players has struck the latter team,
however, and may hold 1t back. The
White Sox. who got away eXcellently.
lied to keep up the pace during the
week. while the decmated Athletics
and the st. Louis Browns have been
having n hard time getting started.
The star pitching performance OF the
week for sentimental rea sons at least,
was that of George Chalmers. the Phil
lies Come Back" twirler. Chalmers,
a pitching sensation as far back as
1911. but out of the running in recent
years, held the Giants last Wednesday
to two hits. The fact that Manager
McGraw had n chance to sign him, hut
failed To do so, made the sting of de-
feat al Chalmers's hands all the more
painful Only two days before the
New Yorks had suffered the discom-
Al Demaree, giant cast-off. in the box
tional Leagues played. won and lost.
bases is as follows