Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-15
GRIFFITH AIMS TO SAVE Left
HANDLERS FOR BOSTON RED SOX
Manager Not to Select Today Pitcher Until
Just Before Game-Feds Seem to Have
Dropped Walter Johnson Case

| every one OF the three passes johnson
| issued. and on his first two trips tc
J lirst he succeeded in stealing second
very cleverly high also handles him.
self well in the field. \ slower runner
would never have reached Williams
! long fly in the first inning which hae
all the earmarks of IA home run. but
| which the wind retarded sufficiently to
| allow fast sprinter like High to get
under the ball
Plpp, the former Catholic University
! player who is holding down first base
Tor the Yankees, made a very satisfac-
| tory showing. lie got a hit the first
time up. sending u liner to left along
the base line. and he handled all the
throws to his position like veteran
Pipp may need little more experience,
out ne seems to have all the earmarks
of a conner
walter johnson s performance in YES
terdays game was in every respect
better than he showed at any time last
game last year. Walter looked more like
the pitcher of old than ne has for some
time lie was "A bit unsteady at the
start. out as the game progressed he
improved. and during the last seven in
nings Wassnot hit safely.
He had remarkable speed, a fast
breaking curve ball. and after the first
lew innings his control also was per
rect There is no reason why Johnson
his present form for the greater part
of the season. II anything. he will i'm
prove Tor while vet. With this great
est of pitchers performing as he did
year before last, the chances of the
Nationals will be greatly improved
That the Nationals We're hitting the
pail pretty hard yesterday is not only
indicated by the twelve base hits
with which they are credited. but there
l,a hi Az -,
the game, three of which made 1t pos
SIDE TOR runners to score from third
after they had been caught. Long sac
rl1ce flies show that a team is meet
ing the ball properly. and if the locals
can keep up their present batting stride
they ought not to have much trouble
scoring enough runs to enable good
pitching to win.
Ray Morgan had a perfect day at the
pat. he was hit by a pitched ball the
nrst time up. In the fourth he paved
the way for his teams second run by
walking. His triple drove in the three
runs in the fifth and his long sacrifice
~ 70 ieft allowed Milan to score from
third in the eighth
considering that Morgan has been
iald up for three Or four DAYS, his play-
ing was far above what was expected.
The little fellow is on a fair road to
nave his most successful season. and
Ponds on him
enc iandii seemed well enough to
break into the game had it been abso-
iutelS necessary. but SO long as Will
Hams is around there is no need for
Gandil to hurry, for the big catcher
handles himself well enough around
the bag and there never is a time when
ne is not dangerous man at the bat
incidentally. it was Williams who
,ICyv
backhanded catch of Crees liner in the
NTH inning. with a couple of runners
on and two our. prevented the Yam
KEGS from scoring one run at least, but
Williams. after covering considera BILE
ground to reach the hit, used his mitt
backhanded and the ball stuck in II :.
retiring the side
Time does not seem to make the
slightest difference to George Mcbride
same brilliant fielding stunts, and this
spring he also is hitting the ball bet
ter than ever before. Mcbride seems
al last TO have won the appreciation
OF the public he has long deserved
when he made his first appearance at
the bat yesterday he was given a gen
uine ovation. the fans realizing that he
mas been one of the most loyal and
hard working players who have ever
donned Washington uniform.
Empires Evans and Mullaney acouit-
ted themselves splendidIy. There was
not the slightest protest against any
of their decisions. Mullaney is a giant.
Yet he gets over the ground very fast
and made it his business to be right
on top of every base decision he had
to render. Evans, as usual gave abso-
lutte satisfaction on his rulings be-
hind the plate.
No team which has played the Ma
tionals this spring has compared with
the locals in the matter of condition.
Not one of the National League teams
which met the Nationals during the ex-
with the locals SO far as fitness to plav
was concerned. and this also is true of
the Yankees. who are by no means as
well prepared as are the Griffmen.
Though the locals trained at Char
lottesville under weather conditions
which were anything but favorable, the
series of games arranged with the Ma
ttonal League clubs after a stay at
Charlottesville did much to put the
Griffmen on edge.
Shanks by a remarkable throw prob
ably prevented the Yankees from scor-
second. Pipp hit single to left field
Ordinarily a fast man like High would
have scored easily enough under the
circumstances. But Shanks handled
the ball with great speed and threw it
on low line to the plate High real
lied after running up the line a few
feet that he had no chance and returned
to third base.