Evening star., 1916-07-17
BY j. ED GRILLO.

BY j. ED GRILLO.
By their three straight victories over
the Cleveland Indians the Griffmer
have been enabled to pass the Detroi,
Tigers in the race, and are in posi-
tion where they may go into the first
division within the next few days. The
team is going if it had started on a
long winning streak. the hitting being
most timely of late and the pitching OF
the highest caliber.
Yesterdays victory gave the Ma
tionals six games out of the eight
they have played with the Indians, a
record which none of the other teams
in the league has made against the
Fohl team. 1t would not be at all sur
prising if the Nationals succeeded IN
making a clean sweep of the present
series, of which two games remain to
be played here.
Harry Harper is slated to pitch
against Klepfer this afternoon. The
former White Sox pitcher has not been
able to finish game recently and u
he does not show a great deal of i'm
provement Harper should not have
hard time adding a victory to his
credit
Joe Boehling is winning games with
pleasing regularity. The Richmond
so1Ithpaw is doing consistent work.
and he is certain to be one of the team :
winning pitchers in the present car :
paign. Pitching overhanded lnsteaa OF
with a side-arm motion has MADE a
remarkable difference in Boehling's ef-
fectiveness.
According to the accounts from
Cleveland George Mcbride, with any
kind of luck. would have had three
extra base hits in the game yesterday:
but marvellous fielding on the part OF
Iris Speaker robbed him of two of
these. His one hit was a triple, which
brought in a run.
Alva Williams seems to have found
his batting eye at last. Saturday he
made three hits against the Indians.
and in the game yesterday he came
through with two timely wallops. both
of which cut a decided figure in the
score.
incidentally, Williams took part in
a double steal, which helped to another
run. Alva was on the business end of
the dual pilfer, scoring from third base.
Charley Jameson is one of those
players who always display winning
spirit. Since being given a chance to
play almost regularly Jameson has
greatly improved in his stick work.
and he has done more than his share in
beating the Indians the three games
they have dropped to the Griffmen.
Jameson is fast on his feet and is de-
veloping into a timely hitter He fig
ured in both the victories here Friday
and Saturday. In the first game his
double in the ninth brought the win
ming run over the plate. and he also
took a part in winning the game Sat
urday when he accounted for the first
run for the Nationals in the seventh
inning by driving Shanks home from
second base after two hands were out.
The Cleveland pitching staff is not
going as well as earlier in the season.
Guy Morton hurt his arm in the strain
of trying to work out of turn, and
Stanley Coveleskie yesterday gave evi-
dence of growing stale, under doing a
lot Of work.
On the other hand. Grimth's stan
seems to be in better form now than it
has been at any time this season. john
pitching winning ball, and so is
Boehling, while Ayers and Gallia seem
also to have rounded into form. Dumont
will be a star as soon as he RECEIVERS
from the illness which gave him a set
back.
As was predicted in these columns
yesterday, Joe Boehling, and not Jim
shaw. worked in the Sunday game
indicated he is in better form than he
was earlier in the season, Griffith very
wisely did not take any chances with
working regularly and is in good form,
to the mound, and as result the Ma
tions made 1t three straight. Shaw
would not have fnstilled the same con-
hdence into the team that did Boehling,
for the players now have confidence in
the eouthpaw because he has been
winning. and they are still dubious
about Shaw. for. besides finishing a
had an opportunity to do anything.
Pitcher Bagby was much discouraged
at Losing the game Saturday. in which
he At one time had a two-run lead over
walter johnson. He admitted that he
was dreaming Of beating the leagues
leadfng pitcher. and he was picturing
in his mind what the folks in his home
town would say when the ticker would
anngunce that Basbv had beaten Wal
Basby blamed his defeat on in-Iuck,
claiming that Chapman's wild throw
and the failure of one Of his supporters
to get under Jamieson's little pop fly
over second base caused his undoing,
and that with even break Of luck
he would have realized his ambition to
win game from Walter Johnson.
the Indiana. He undoubtedly is the
best FIRST baseman the Cleveland team
ever has had. and the fact that he is
not blessed with an enormous batting
average does not indicate that he has
not been 4 valuable addition with his
stick. for most of Chfc's hits have come
at the right time and have produced
runs
N - peculiar how often tho Wash
fngeon team has put a stop to the pen
nant ambitions of the Cleveland club.
In 1908 Joe Cantillon was IN charge
hore. and Cleveland. under Larry
La1oie's management was making a
great hght for the flag. together with
McAleers St Louis Browns and the
Detroit Tigers. The three teams were
bunohed and Cantillon had a tail-end
team Because of some mix-up in
Cleveland Jim Delehanty was suspend
ed. and as Cantillon did not possess
another infelder. he placed Otis Clymer
at second base. Clymer was an out
fielder and had never played the posi-
ton. but he managed to get in the way
OF everything that was hit and the re-
suit was that the Nationals won three
out OF four and put Cleveland out of
the pennant fight
In 1913. under Birmingham, CIeve-
IAnd was In second place tust few
games behind the Athletics, and going
AZ marvellous clip. so that il was
believed 1t had a good chance to bea,
out the Athletics. The BIRMINGHAM m
team came here for FIVE games The
players were all puffed up, and de-
ciared themselves confident they would