The sun., 1916-09-18

a strong finish by beating the Cubs in
a double Header last Saturday.
Dodgers Going slowly.
I. may be of interest 10 Brooklyn
fans to know that for "A stretch OF five
weeks the team has only broken even.
Since its last great stand at home
against the Western teams. when
Brooklyn played for a stretch around
the .s35 mark. the team has played 300
ball. Since August IS. when the team
started n series against Boston. 1t has
played thirty-eight games. winning
nineteen and losing the same number.
Toward the latter part Of the week
the club displayed more ginger and
fighting power. 1feftcr's return to his
top form Is n big asset. as Is Whcat's
remarkable batting during the last
month. On the whole brooklyn looks
more NJ to stand the grind than 1t did
a week ago.
There IL one thing that is greatly in
Pat Moran's favor. a little matter which
most OF the sporting writer's doping out
the conditions have overlooked. But Pat
Moran has not overlooked It. and banks
heavily Oh II. Moran is through with
the Giants. right now the hardest club 10
o's'A ~ wv 'hb "t lFutu IllE
to the new Giants with four straight de-
fcats. but lie is expecting them to do as
much agains; Stallings n Robby. The
Braves have five more games to play
with the Giants on the Polo Grounds.
while the Giants visit Brooklyn for four
In early October.
Giants Have Best Team.
The Giants present a strange situation
lV.N S~s -- -
their last Western trip. when they were
averaging two runs a week. the men of
Harlem are now the class Of the Tcner
circuit. They showed hat very forcibly
when they beat the Phillies -four straight.
after the Quakers had won eight straight
games from Brooklyn and Ros'on. They
have now wor eleven straight contests.
and II the race had a month to go in
stead OF two weeks and a half II IL
doubtful II anything could stop the
Giants from winning the flag.
For one thing the Giants are now get
ting the pitching. something they had no,
been getting since that seventeen straight
streak in May. During the last three
weeks. McGraw has been banking almost
entirely on benton. Perritt. Schupp and
Tesreau. Sallee's illness prevented him
from taking his regular turn ON the
mound. hut he will hc "A big factor next
year. A good many fans. the writer In
cluded. think II IL much easier TO tell
who will win tie 1917 National, League
pennant than the 1916 gonfalon.
The Boston Red SoX wer" finally
yanked or their top perch last Saturday,
but the American Leagune remains as
much a puzzle as before. The odds are
all with the Western teams now. They
are playing at home. and their Athletic
series may be counted as so many soft
games won. Connie Mack's record still
Ia one game won In the West this sea- !
son.
Like their National League rivals. the !
Red Sox constitute a game team. Though
not AZ much ~ a bunch Of fchters as
the Braves. Lewis, Hooper. Carrican.
Gardner. Cady n homas are hardened
warriors who ave gone through two
pennant grinds. in both 1912 and 1915.
while most OF the other members Of the
team. including the pitching stan, were
members OF last seasons worlds cham
pionship club.
Red sox Pitchers Fail.
OF late the attack Of the Red Sox
seems to have grown much stronger. and
the team IL getting many more runs. but
the pitchers are no longer holding up
their ends. The work OF Dutch Leonard
has been especially disappointing eince
he pitched his recent no hit game.
To National League followers the
White SoN look like the best team IN the
American League. and they expect 10
zee Comiskey's bunch oppose their pen
nan winner in the worlds series. No
one tries to deny that Individually the
White Sox have the greatest team in the
league. They have a much stronger Of
fence han Boston. and their pitching is
much better than that Of the Tigers. For
one thing. Collins. by batting about 400
for two months. has raised his average
from $50 to .305. and Eddie batting 1850
10 a different player from the Collins who
was hitting around $40 early in the sea-
son.
After another game with Boston the
White Sox get the Athletics. while De-
troit Is meeting the Boston Red Sox.
NO schedule ever offered a team a better
chance to jump ahead. For two years
now the Tigers have blown all their big
series TO Boston with the exception OF
the last one played in Marlborough,
which the Tiers won. two out Of three.
The Yankees are plugging away to
stay In the first division, and the fight
for fourth place is almost as keen as the
one for fret. II D~onovan's team stumblee
now 1t may wind up as low as seventh,
Conditions this year are much as they
were In 1911, when Chase's Yankees fell
from third to sixth In the last week OF
the season. though the team had a per-
centage Of 500. A few games separated
the third and sixth place teams.
Wheat Sets Hitting Record.
Among the weeks features was the
new record made by Wheat of Brook
Ion md fhn HITTING nj cnS.Arnl II, ,,..,
Zach Wheat. Brooklyn outfelder. up to
the second game OH Saturday had estab.
lished a seasons and probably n major
league record by making at least one
hit In twenty-nine consecutive games.
He'lman Of Detroit and ]. G. Smith,
Boston Nationals, each made. Ave nits
out Of ive times at bat once during the
utaaL Tho fatal haaaa lan oaaln .u...