Evening star., 1915-06-17
TIGERS ARE HERE
FOR THREE GAMES
Steen, Former Cleveland Pitch
er. May Work for Jennings
Aggregation Today.
GRIFFITH IN A QUANDARY
y AS TO PITCHING CHOICE
Johnson Displays Best Form of Sea-
son in Final Game With
White Sox.
BY j. ED GRILLo.

]
| Tigers. while Jennings will not def
ntely decide which one of his pitchers
he will use until just before the game
| begins. He may use Steen. formerly of
| Cleveland against the Nationals be-
| cause that twirler has the reputation of
| being hard man for the locals to beat
| 1--WE have not played up to our stand
ard of late said Jennings today, but
| it is second nature with all teams to
| have an occasional slump. We will get
+ going again soon, and then we will not
| be easy to stop. My team has a splen-
| did chance to win the flag this year,
and if hustle and good playing can
bring this about we are sure to attain
| our ambition. I was very glad to see
| the Nationals knock down the White
| Sox a couple of times, for that will
| eventually help us to get in the lead
| Manager Griffith is in nuandary as
| to which of his pitchers he should
work against the Detroit team today.
Shaw has begun several games against
the Tigers but has never finished one
Somehow or other he gets a bad start
when facing the Jennings crew. though
he ought to be an ideal pitcher against
that team.
Doc Ayers always has been more or
less effective against the Tigers and
a chance today. Should Griffith change
his mind, however, he may take one
more chance with Shaw. who. when he
is going good. is one of the hardest OF
the local pitchers to beat
Neither Cahill nor Bruce is going to
be Of immediate benefit to the Nationals.
Cahill, in fact, has departed for his
home, and it is not likely he will return
here He is anxious to sign with the
! 1, I,,t M,,, ri h n
to tie himself up with the youngster, who,
no doubt, needs a year or more of ex-
perience before he can hold his own in
fast company.
So far as Bruce is concerned, he gives
every indication of being much too green
for this class of base ball. But he ap-
pears to have a lot OF natural ability,
and Manager Griffith will try to send
him to some minor league club. where he
can be developed. Neither of the two
college youngsters compares with Tommy
Connolly in ability. and for this reason
they will not be retaoined here, though it
| Is likely that Bruce will be developed into
| a frst-cIass man in due time.
Walter Johnson's pitching Yesterday
was decidedly steady and effective He
did not give a single base on balls, but
hit a batter. struck out eight and allowed
but four hits, two of which were rank
| fiukes.
| Johnson had a world Of speed He fire.
GuentIy struck out some of the best hit
! tiers the team without resOrting to
anything bu THAT terrific fast ball. Eddie
| Collins suffered in this way the first
| two times up and he went hitless during
| the nine innings. Breaks of the game
! helped the Sox to their two runs and, as
| is usually the case with Johnson, he was
| never in a position where he could take
things easy. being forced to pitch at top
speed every foot of the way. This, how
| ever, he was able to do and not hit
was made off his delivery after the
! fifth inning.
! George Mcbride was responsible for
| two of the Grifmen's runs yesterday.
| His single in the fourth brought Nor
gan home and his long sacrifice fly also
scored the same pla yer in the eighth
| In the seventh Mac started the inning
with his second single, was sacrificed
to second by Johnson, but the hit did
| not come which was necessary to bring
| him home.
| Dan Moeller is getting TO be a dan.
| gerous right-handed batter. He al
| ways hits from that side when left
| handler is pitching, and yesterday he
not only got a single and triple, but
| hit r. line drive to center, right AT
| Felsch. which, if IT had been between
fields, would have been another triple
| Fournier, the Sox's great slugger, go
hit the first time up. but hit two
| weak flies thereafter and in the ninth
famed.
| Eddie Ainsmith caught splendid
game. Johnson was at his best and ex
| traordinarily fast. and 1t required 2
quick eye and two good hands to catch
him Ainsrnith did not make wab.
BILE behind him, and on several occa
sions held foul tips which went into hi:
glove at terrific speed. Only two at.
tempts TO steal were made on Ain
| smith and both were successful.
| The Nationals showing against the
western teams has been all that could
be hoped for. Ten games have been
PLAYED and seven have been won, which
| is a splendid showing. The kind of ball
| the locals put up against the White
Sox also will stop the Detroit Tigers
from running away with anything
from here, although 1t Is not likely
that the Tigers will be asked to face
either johnson or Shaw In the series
! here. because Griffith does not pitch
Johnson with two days rest. and Shaw
for some reason has never shown to
| good advantage when facing the I'll
| gers, who are here for but three games
this trip.
"Reb" Russell has not shown the good
form of late that marked his work ear
l1er In the season. yesterday the SOX
| left handler was effective only at times
His delivery was hit hard, though there
were only three innings in which he
was scored on. Russell will have to i'm
prove a whole lot in his work If he is
| to be one Of the Sox's winning pitchers
| Fourniers and Weavers hits were
the only two clean blows made off
Johnson's delivery by the Sox Both OF
the hits credited to Schalk were the
| rankest fukes. In the second inning he
hit n slow bounder toward Morgan, and
the ball took A bound to one side just
| as Morgan had reached down to pick
1t up. His double was pop fly over
| third base which stuck in the soft
ground and made Shanks run some dis
tance before he could pick 1t up.
The soft playing field again proved a
| handicap TO the Nationals. But for the
| slowness of the field 1t Is questionable
| whether the Sox would have scored
Schalk, for instance. would not have
| gotten two bases on his pop fly over
third If the ground had been hard ant
the ball had rolled toward Shanks In.
cidentally schalk might have been re.
tired at tho plate whom he scored or
| RusseIfs sacrifice fly to Shanks had the
bounce Of Shanks' throw shot off hard
ground instead of soft. which slowe.