Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-29
BY J. ED GRILLO.


The Nationals leave this afternoon.
Immediately after the final game here
with the Athletics. on their first swing
! of the season around the America n
Lea que circuit. Before returning to the
local park Grif1ith's team will face each
of the other seven clubs on its home
, field. being booked for a total of twen-
tyseven games. Four are to be played
in Boston. three in Detroit, four in
Cleveland. five in Chicago. four in st.
Louis. three in Philadelphia and four
| in New York.
| Two games are scheduled tomorrow
| in Boston, one in the morning and the
other in the afternoon. After the series
with the Red Sox the team goes to De-
| troit to start the first series in the west.
| Following games with Detroit, Cleve-
land. Chicago and St. Louis. the Griff-
men come east again and open three
game series in Philadelphia, and after
| that play four in New York.
Here is the entire schedule, begin
ming tomorrow: May so, Boston (two
games); May 81. Boston: June i, Bos-
ton: June >. open: June 3, Detroit:
June 4. Detroit: June ). Detroit; June
s. Cleveland: June !, Cleveland; June
s, Cleveland; June 9, Cleveland; June
10, Chicago: June IL, Chicago; June II.
Chicago: June 13, Chica go: June IA. Chi
Gag June Is, st, Louis; June is, St.
Louis; June II, St. Louis; June is, st.
Louis: June 10, open; June 20. Philadel-
phia June 81. Philadelphia; June %.
Philadelphia; June %. New York: June
"a. New York; June Is, Sunday (no
New York
While the Nationals are scheduled to
play four games in Cleveland, it is
place. The Sunday game which was
played in that city May 81. when the
Nationals and Indians jumped from
W shington for the one game, was or
dered by Ban johnson, and he has not
Vet notified Griffith whether it will be
ia ken from this next series or from the
one following.
Manager Griffith today said he in
tended to open the series at Boston to-
morrow with Harper and Dumont, the
former to pitch the morning game and
the latter in the afternoon. Dumont's
exhibition last Friday against the Ath-
letics about determined that he is
ready to take his regular turn on the
slab. and if he continues to pitch in
anything like the form he showed then
his teammates will not have to get
him many runs to win.
Griffith was not very talkative this
morning about the prospects for the
trip. refusing to make any kind of a
prediction as to the probable showing
of the Nationals. 1t was his opinion,
he said. that predictions as to the out
come of games were more or less fool
ish and result in no good, inasmuch
as they are largely guesswork and de-
pendent too much on unforeseen condi-
tions that rise from day to day.
You may depend on one thing
though" said Griffith. we will be
fighting hard for every game. l don't
know how many will be marked up in
the won column when we finish the
trip. but we are going to try our hard
est to take them all. The team now is
in the best shape 1t has been in this
season, and every man is ready in
every sense of the word The players
all are working hard, realizing that
every game counts, and they are not
going to cease their endeavors just be-
cause they are away from home
Any one of three pitchers is likely
to get a chance to work the final game
today against the Athletics. Grfith's
choice for slab duty rests on Rice,
Shaw or Ayers. All three of these have
workout in a regular game will do
much to put them on edge.
No matter what the result of the
game today. the Nationals start their
trip in first place. If Cleveland wins
from the White Sox and the Athletics
get away with their only victory of the
series here the local club will still be
half a game to the good. 1t would
make Griffith. the players and the
fans. too. feel very confident of the
ultimate result if just the opposite
takes place in today's contest-a vic
tory for the Nationals and a defeat for
Fohfs Indians. In the event of the
latter condition the team would go
awar rather comfortably in the lead
with a fair chance of returning in the
same position.
In order that the Nationals may catch
an early train for Boston, today's game
was set to be called a GAS o'clock.
So that they might be in good shape
for tomorrow's games in Boston, Grif-
fifth yesterday sent Harper. Dumont
land Boehling to Boston. The first men
toned two of these will be ready for
regular turns. we'll rested. but Crit
fifth did not want to take chances with
he might benefit also. in order that
he could be certain Of a fresh man
for relief work In case of emergency.
No Washington club ever has been in
as good a position Gin the American
League as the Nationals are right now.
True, the local team has been in the
lead in other years. but never before
with SO good a chance Of holding it.
The club Is SO much better fortified in
every department that there is hardly
any comparison with previous seasons.
The remarkable capabilities of the
pitching staff have been proved, and
the fact that Grihith has suff1cient
substitute material with which to make
changes when any of the players be-
gin to go bad Is q great advantage in
itself. This was shown last week,
when Rondeau was taken out Of right
field and Jameson given a chance to
show what he could do. Rondeau had
not been hitting for few days, and
everybody knows how well Jameson