Evening star., 1916-08-20

1t was perhaps the first time this
season that Smith has faced left
handlers during a game. He was up
against Koob. Parks and Weilman, and
while a member of the Cleveland team
he was always taken out of the game
when left handlers were on the mound,
but inasmuch as Leonard had disap-
pointed, Griffith played Smith so as to
make good his announcement as best
he could.
The Griffmen are playing a much
better grade of ball in the last two
days than they have for some time.
The result is that they have scored two
that the announcement of the trade of
Boehling and Moeller has stimulated
the rest of the players and that they
are now hustling more than they did
the first day they played after their
disastrous trip on the road.
Griffith is apt to do a lot Of expert
menting during the remainder of the
batting order in various ways in order
to get line on which way 1t works to
the best advantage.
He will also have several other play
ers report in the fall. among them
Menoskey of the Minneapolis club and
Barber, who has been farmed out to the
Baltimore International League team.
In the meantime he may put in drafts
for players when the drafting season
rolls around on September /. and he
may have such players report here at
once to look them over.
The local base ball season closes here
on September IL, after which the Griff-
men play all their remaining games on
the road, and Griffith hopes to win a
majority of these in order to make a
Anal effort to finish in the first division.
Considering that Joe Boehling must
have spent a lot of time on the trains
which took him to Boston, his pitching
against the Red Sox yesterday was
most satisfactory. as he lost only by
the margin of a run and held the Sox
to six scattered hits for eight innings,
probably weakening in the ninth, when
he walked a couple of men and forced
in the winning run.
Dan Moeller also broke into the game.
acting as an emergency runner for
Catcher O'Neil.
George sisler is suffering with
spiked and sprained ankle, which is
causing him a lot of pain and makes
it difficult for him to do himself justice
at the bat or in the field.
Manager Jones took him out of the
game in the fourth inning and allowed
Borton to hit for him and then sent
him to play first base. Sisler will prob
ably be rested for a few days, for in
his present Condlt1on ne Is not OF much
use to either himself or his team.
Ray Morgan is doing a lot of good
hitting of late. and he Is displaying
better spirit in his work than formerly,
when he was suffering from what he
believes was a case of malaria.
Eddie Foster Is now a finished sec
ond baseman. He gets the ball away
quicker than any of the players hold
ing down that position, and this makes
1t very hard for even a fast sprinter to
beat out anything hit in his direction
Foster did a lot of brilliant fielding
yesterday, when he picked up all sorts
Of difficult bounding grounders. and par
ucularIy in one instance, when he grabbed
Sisters sharp grounder and made a quick
and accurate throw to the plate. cutting
down Miller. who tripled. scoring Shot
ten and then tried to come home when
Sisler hit to Foster.
Waited johnson was the victim OF
many scratch hits during the first few
innings, but after the fourth he buckled
down and held the Browns safe through
the final five innings, when he allowed
but two runs There were a lot of
balls hit hard Off Of Koob, and some
Of the other pitchers. which ordinarily
would have given the Nationals a lot
more runs. Shanks and Foster, for in
stance, hit line drives at Lavan in the
first inning.
shanks handcuffed tho little short
stop. but the ball fell down in front of
him. and he threw Howard out at first
Foster ended the inning with another
line drive right at Lavan. to which he
held fast.
Milan in the second inning hit ter