Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-13
Special Dispatch to The Star.

( CHICAGO. June 13.-Chicago fans are
! to have rather an unusual exhibition to-
day. for the announcement has been made
that Walter johnson is to pitch for the
! Nationals and Ed Walsh is to start for
| the White Sox. Just the reason for this
announcement is hard to understand.
I Griffith gave II out that Walter was to
! hurl and then Rowland came right back
with the announcement that Big Ed
/ would take the slab in opposition to
him. The chances are that Rowland hg-
ures that Walsh has as good a chance
as any other member of his staff to beat
Johnson The Big Moose" has not
started in a league game this year. he
has pitched in two exhibition games and
looked good. but he has been waiting all
these weeks for a good spot to start, as
he did last year.
! The announcement caused ripple of
laughter to go the rounds when 1t was
made. Walsh is regarded as through by
most of the SoX rooters. The big Fellow
is to be seen daily on the coaching lines,
but he never is seen trying out his arm
before or during the games. Rowland has
him batting flies to the outhelders nearly
every day. 1t is possible that Walsh Is
feeling confident ne can win again. He
fore he would make a start this year. If
he can win a game against Walter John
son he would be good for another start
or two.
The batting slump the Nationals are
suffering from right now might make it
possible for the SoX to beat the great
Walter and might at the same time enable
Walsh to get over victory. Inc Ma
tionals have not been able to make run
in the last two days and only one in
the three games they have played here.
Johnson cannot win, the game unless he
gets a run or two, and the chance of his
small unless the team takes a brace in the
batting line 1t is quite possible that the
players of the Washington team will take
a brace with johnson on the slab because
with him there than at any other time.
The three straight victories have put
lot of pep into the White Sox and they
will be tough for even Walter to beat
today.
The present slump is the worst one by
far that the Nationals have had since
Griffith took hold of the management.
Yesterdays defeat was the tenth that the
team has suffered in the last twelve
games. In spite of the many defeats the
team has stuck in good company all the
time and still is holding down third
place. but it has no great margin over
the Red Sox and Tigers today. There is
only a half game between the Griffmen
and fifth place. The Red Sox and Tigers
are practically tied for fourth place. SO it
will be necessary for the Nationals to
win today or drop back into fourth or
fifth place The White Sox also are
crawling up pretty close and are only
two games behind the Washington men.
1t was bit of poor Judgment to pull
hit and run play in the sixth inning
when Morgan was killed off on his way
TO third. Morgan was at second and
Judge at first and Benz seemed to be
going bad with Foster at the plate, and
it looked as if another base on balls
would come. and did come. Foster was
ordered to hit and Morgan to run. though
and Foster missed the ball by foot and
throw at third. 1t would have meant a
run IL Morgan had waited and Foster
got on. filling the bases. Milan was next
up, and could have scored run on a
long fly or an infeld out.
Eddie Collins. who has been the main
reason Tor the poor showing of the
Sox this spring, celebrated today when
he made hit in the fourth inning. He
his hat to the grandstand spectators
His hits have been scarce all spring
that he has been hooted at by the fans
at times. Eddie still is as fast and ac-
curate in the field as ever. He takes
advantage of opportunities also to run
| the bases. He scored the second run
of the game today by taking a chance.
He was on second base. when Gallia
| let go of a wild pitch that went back
| to the big grandstand and bounced to
| one side. Collins was off, and on his
way home in flash, and reached the
plate with time to spare before Henry
could retrieve the ball.
The Nationals got four hits in yester-
days official record, but one of them
was very much of the scratch. order.
| Judge laid down bunt toward Weaver
| in the sixth inning after Morgan got a
| base on balls, and Weaver fumbled the
| ball two or three times he would
| have nailed him at first Judge was
| fast in getting down, and the official
scorer took that into consideration and
saved Buck an error.
! The Nationals are showing the eff
/ fects Of their long losing streak. They
| have very little pep in their prelimf-
nary workouts. Griffith is the liveIiest
member Of his squad
| Ness. the new Sox first baseman, is
one of the most ungainly OF players
livers the goods both at bat and In the
| field.
! Fred McMullin, the Sox regular third
/ baseman, is going to be out of the
game for another week or. ten days. 1t
was discovered today that he had A
fractured toe and that ne would have
to rest up in order to give his foot a
chance to mend. He was furnished
with a pair of clutches and told to