The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-07-30
RtOlfGS AND CARDINALS.
CLOSING IN on GIANTS
weatern TeAms Cont1nue- - Play Best
to he Real Menace to MeGravvftes.
by ARTHUR sTRUwE,
stan Correspondent international
News Service.

Ne"h SekvfCes
New York. July cs.-The spectre OF
| the West is casting dark shadow
! over the Giants pennant chances The
squirt of the Reds and Cardinals has
proven no flash in the pam" The
teams are playing the best ball in the
National league. Inch by inch they
are crawling up on the New York
bunch. The Giants have started their
Western campaign very badly. They
nave been beaten in two out of three
starts by the Cubs and have had their
lead Of "a games cut to seven games.
The last of this week will begin
crucial test for McGraw's men. First
they play a series with the Pirates,
Then they journey to Cincinnati TO
engage the Reds From Redland they
must hook UP with the Cardinals The
Reds have won the last two series
from the Giants; the Cardinals have
not been so fortunate, but they al
ways play better against New York
in their home town than they do in
Harlem.
IL the Giants should lose both series
to Cincinnati and ST. Louis the three
teams will be so closely punched that
And in that case the advantage will
undoubtedly be with the Western
teams
The Reds have played fifteen more
games than the Giants; the Cardinals
eight more. The double header will
tell on a teams pitchers, and II the
Giants are to be hard pressed there
will be no letup for their boxmen,
while the pitchers from the Reds and
Cardinals can get all the rest possible.
The slump of the Phillies has almost
put them out of the running. The
best record in the National league was
made by the Cardinals last week,
Higgins men having won all FIVE
games played. Cincinnati won four
out of FIVE: New York but two out
of five and Philadelphia one out of
five.
Champs and sox 10 Meet.
Tomorrow another real fight will be
staged between the leading : White
Sox and Red Sox. One week ago in
the Windy City the men with the COL
orless hose played rings around the
worlds champions. They came east
and opened up gap of Ave games,
The pennant was claimed. Then the
down trodden Yankees shot the har-
poon into them while the Red Sox
were cleaning up the Browns. Their
FiSdd VI HSt GAINES was tdL IL t"u
games representing total loss Of one
half game for the week. Tomorrow
| the two teams meet. If the Red Sox
win the series the teams will be tied,
The Red sox have been playing poor
and good ball all the year. They al
ways play better ball after a slu,n p.
They have had their slump. But can
they stop the White Sox this week
any better than they did a week ago.
That is the question their admirers
are asking. Each team won FIVE games
last week. but the White Sox lost three
while the Red Sox were losing two.
And while the teams are fighting
for the honor to meet In the world s
series there is some talk of the series
not being played at all. President
Ban Johnson. of the American league.
says IL the draft takes away the
stars" OF his league there will be
no series President John Tener, of
the Nationals, SAYS It will not be
played If President Wilson desires it
abandoned.
! This week the Reds will play the
I Dodgers and Giants, while the Cardi-
mails are battling with the Phlllies and
Brooklyn. After the Red ox-white
Sox setto, the Chicago team will go
to Philadelphia, while the Indians go
ITO Boston.
/ II Is apparently an even break all
around.