Evening star., 1915-08-07
BY J. ED GRILLo.


The Nationals good work since com
ing off their last trip has placed them
In a position in the race where if they
can keep up the pace a little longer
they are sure to move up a peg or so
and be in a position to give the real
leaders a battle The White Sox now
are just five and half games ahead
of Washington, and that margin may
be cut down another game before the
day is over.
The chances are the Sox will not be
any more troublesome today than they
have been in the other games of the
series The Griffmen have the Row
land crew on the run and should make
clean sweep. by beating them in the
final game today That would put
them within four and half games of
third place, and who knows what is in
store for the Tigers when they come
to make their four-day visit next
week.
AS the locals are now going they will
be hard to stop. The pitching is gen.
orally strong and the offensive strength
of the team is better than it has been
In some time, While It's heldlnS is Oh
the highest caliber.
Merito Acosta has had as much to do
with the defeat of the White Sox as
any other individual on the team.
Acosta has been in three of the Sox
games. and he has made his presence
felt on every occasion. In the secona
game of the first oCbie-Leader. Whlch
the Nationals won, to l, Acosta mace
two hits and scored two of the runs. In
the first game yesterday he was there
with three clean hits and two runs, and
was in the thickest of the rally IN the
eighth, which made victory posslD!e-
Il lly ho
winning of the Anal game, for ne droVe
in run in the second with his triple,
and later scored another run a1ter
being hit by a pitched ball
For several years the fans nave oeen
asking why Griffith carried Acosta
when he did not play more than occa-
sionallv. TIL" answer was that GrH
nth felt certain that Acosta would IN
and the prediction has been realized.
The Cuban is showing excellent form,
and it is not going to be an easy matter
to get him out Of left field.
Manager Rowland must charge him.
self with the defeat in the first game
He took a long chance. when 1eW
managers would have taken, when ne
pitcher. in to finish the game in which
the Sox had four-run lead. That
move proved fatal, and 1t is not sec
ond guess either. for 1t was called
mistake the moment w cilS@h5 was N-A
nounced.
Faber was the logical man to pitch
the last two innings, but he did not get
into the fray until things looked de-
cidedly dubious for the Wh1te Sox- II
fs poor Judgment to take any chances
with a game which you have apparent
ly cinched. The best pitcher should be
sent to the mound on such OCCASIONS,
and had this been done yesterday the
Sox probably would have at least got
It is very likely that Kopp will take
Dan Moellers place in right held TO-
day Moeller injured himself IN the
groin in the first game going into third
base, and he was not able to extend
himself in the second game, SO kopp
filled his place for the last few innings,
and, as usual. acquitted himself we'll
1t will be best to let Moeller rest un-
til his injury Is mended, and 1t Is Tor
tunate that Griffith brought Kopp down
from ST. Thomas. for he Will be able
to fill any vacancy that may occur IN
youngster Griffith has had available all
spring barring Acosta, of course, who
now is a regular.
AS a rule Walter Johnson is one OF
the best fielding pitchers in the game
today, but it was his inability to han
die several balls in that eighth inning
of the first game which gave the Sox
six runs. The chances are the Sox
would not have scored in this inning
had Walter made a good throw to
Shanks on T. Collins sacrifice. That
throw started all the trouble. and 1t is
the first time in several years that
johnson has made this sort of an err
ror After that he showed no accuracy
IN fielding hunts, and this helped the
Sox not little.
1t is decidedly questionable If the
- G~o h &c
ever been enualed In base ball Moth
ing could give stronger demonstra-
tion of the uncertainty OF the sport
than what happened in that short pc
Rod The odds that the locals would
win that game after the Sox had scored
six runs and held four-run lead, with
but an inning and half to go, were
enormous, vet the performance of the
time and without the aid of an error.
the Nationals batting out victory on
clean drives.
Men who have followed base ball for
twenty-odd years cannot recall SINH
lar instance.
Eddie Collins does not look like the
player of old. simply because he IL not
hitting anywhere near his form: In the
four games here the former Mackman
has made Just two hits. and that gives
him a total of three for the entire
eastern trip to date Time and time
again collins mas Deen up WQcn u Hlt
would change the complexion Of the
game, but he has not been comm g
through as he did In former years.
though he Is not suffering from old
age.
1t is not stretching it a single bit to
say that Chick Gandil ts by far the best
first baseman in the American League.
Chick is playing wonderful ball around
first base. and II there IL another man
in that position In his class he has
never been shown here. McInnis Is not
to be classed with Gandil, because he is
not able to reach balls on which Gandil
makes plays.
The Nationals frst base guardian is
clever fielder of hard-hit ground
balls. has the knack Of throwing to the
bag. to a pitcher running for 1t to COW
er. down to a nicely. and he knows a
thing or two about covering the bag
himself on occasions. Incidentally
Chick is good hitter and a dangerous