The Washington herald., 1917-06-01
FIFTEEN GAMES LOST
BY 0NE-RUN MARGIN
Nationals Are. in Rut, Due to Being
Nosed Out by Opponents.

Griff's lowly Nationals are not out of
the American League race, although il
appears that the Red Sox are ready for
their regular romp. The Nationals are
sure to cut figure in the naming of the
leader In Ban B. Johnson's circuit.
In the thirty-eight games played to date
the Nationals have dropped twenty-five.
but even with the placing of these bat
ties on the wrong side of the ledger.
Grin's tribe has only been outclassed on
two occasions. these being the l6-to-4 VIC
tory scored by the Athletics in the first
foreign series and the 9-to-0 victory by
the Red Sox on Tuesday.
OF the twenty-five games placed in the
discard column, fifteen have been
dropped by the one-run margin. Many
followers of the club may ofrer an aIibi
OF jinx or hoodoo. but it looks like
the lack of confidence on the part of the
players that accounts for the dropping of
most of these contests. Griffs pitchers
at present are going as good, II not bet
ter, than any pitching stan in the Amer
lean League circuit, but miscues or bones
at the critical moment have given their
opponents the most of the victories scored
by these close margins
An even break in half of these games
which have been dropped by this one-run
margin would have the Nationals well
entTenched in the first division and close
on the heels OF BLACK jack Barry's
world champions.
Clark c. Griffith is not a rebel, but the
foxy pilot OF the Nationals thinks well of
all the boys who wore the gray in the
years of SO to '65. Griff intends to be the
host TO all the boys in gray next week
when the Confederate Veterans reunion
will be held here
The old boys from Dixie will be ad-
mitted free to all the games played here
during the convention, and as Clyde
Milan is the only real rebel in the lineup
of the Nationals, he no doubt will be
lionized by the gray-clan warriors.
Registration day, Tuesday, June 5, is
set aside as a big day in American
baseball. Ban B. johnson, president of
the American League. has issued orders
that patriotic celebrations shall be in
order on this day, and the management
of the Nationals have made plans for
an elaborate program on this occasion.
The Nationals and the st. Louis
Browns will stage their exhibition
liven up the day. With the Confederate
Veterans present and many of tho
soldiers now stationed at the various
training camps. registration day should
be long remembered by local fans.
The Western clubs will make their first
Eastern invasion here today, when
Fielder Jones and his st. Louis Browns
meet the Nationals in the first game of
four-Eame series at 4:30 p. m. The
board of directors of the club made this
new ruling while the Nationals were on
the road. Many doubt II the fans will
turn out at this hour. but the real test
on It will not be shown for ten days
or two weeks.
Although the Browns are In the second
division in the American League race,
they have a great deal better ball club
than that Of last season. "Baby-Doll.
Jacobson. who is pastiming in the
center garden for the Mound City crew,
has proved a real jinx to the Nationals.
as the big fellow not only came through
with timely wallops that were the Grin
mems undoing while playing the series
in that city but his sensational catches
in the pasture killed OF a number OF
rallys that looked good for scores.
Walter johnson is slated to do the
mound work for the Nationals today.
while Dixie" sothoron, the sensational
spit-ball HEAVIER of the Browns, will fling
for Jones' crew.