The Washington herald., 1917-04-30
SERIES OPENS TODAY
WITH DONOVAN'S YANKS
New York Club Here for Four Games.
Harry Harper May Pitch.
N. InuN nIrGAN
NJ JOHN A. DUGAN

The FIRST Eastern invasion OF the Grin-
men is over and no one Is any more re-
loiced than the "Old Fox" himself
Twelve games have been played TO date,
and only four Victories are recorded.
these coming asainst Connie MACK
down-trodden Sunderland sluggefs.
Walter johnson. With more smoke and
shoots than he has displayed In a long
time, made possible the FIRST victory in
the opening game In Philadelphia, but
since that date tsIe big speed ball king
has dropped two games. Bert Gallia
scored in the second contest in the
Quaker city. but he. too. went among
the bad ones In his next two attempts
Jimmy Shaw and the big Smoke" then
tailed two victories in the next ive
games against the Mackmen, but Baby
Ruth and Ernie Shore proved too much
for the Nationals in the Hub City and
the two games played were rung up on
the wrong side Of the ledger.
Poor pitching coupled with ragged
fielding, was responsible for the losing
of the games. With nine home games
scheduled to be played between now and
May 10 when the first Western hike is
taken. the "Old Fox will make quite
a few shifts in bis lineup, Griff Is after
building up his club from a defensive
standpoint, as ne believes that his pitch
ers will sure hit their form within the
next few days.
Poor fielding has been the undoing of
the club in most OF these games as the
team has been hitting better than has
been expected. and with the change OF
using Morgan at second. Foster at third,
and Mcbride at SHORTY the inner-works
are sure to be braced.
The first home series opens with the
New York Yankees at the Florida ave-
nue. park today Capt. Huston and his
pennant-contending band will be here
until Thursday. when Black Jack Barry
and his world champions will open here
Friday in a fiye-game series.
Grin is confident that the Nationals
viii grab the edge in these series, as he
believes that the shift in his lineup,
along with better pitching, will help
the club over the rocky road.
Harry Harper. the Hackensack south
paw, who has been suffering with a sore
shoulder all spring. will be given his
first chance OF the season today, pro-
viding that the lanky finger can show
the ''Old Fox that he has recovered
when he warns up.
II Harper cannot step on the mound
George Du Mont, the big Frenchman,
will be given the honoTs. As the Yam
KEGS are not due to arrive until this
morning, no announcement was obtain
able as WHO Bill Donovan would use in
the box.
Havre de Grace will wind up its meet
ing today, and tomorrow Pimlico will
start its spring session. Pimlico will
probably have the greatest spring meet
ing in its history and 1t surely will be Of
higher caliber than the ones at Bowie
and Havre de Grace. and this ia in no
way a slur at the other two tracks.
Pimlieo will always have more than the
mere racing color that attaches to the
other tracks. A glory of the past always
hovers about gPimlico, and the people of
today in every way try to live up to
that standard that has given Maryland
It's right to fame as a racing center
After all. Pimlico is Maryland's own and
no other track will ever usurp its place
MosTidge got into the no-hit hall OF
fame during the last week. He Is a
left-hander, which brings to mind the
isct that the proportion of southpaws
who have put over no-hit games is about
one In five. Among those who served
up their slants from the ofr-side to get
a richie IN the no-hlt class are Morris.
kilroy, Breitenstein. Titcomb. Hahn,
Tannehill. Lush. Rucker, Hamilton,
Narquard, Allen. Leonard, and Mo-
gr.dGe.