South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-08
HURLING PROBLEM
BOTHERS TIGERS
With Right Sort of Pitching,
Jennings Crew is Likely
to Grab HonorS.

NEW YORK. March 5.-Hughie
Jennings and his Detroit Tigers
have a habit OF making themselves
conspicuous in the American league.
They are usually in the thick OF a
pennant race. and the baseball prog
nosticators are pretty well agreed
that 1917 viii find them lighting in
the first division. where they made
q birthplace finish last fall.
But in line with the advance
"dope" that indicates a red-hot
race again this year. those Tigers
VIII have a world Of opposition. and
their road toward Pennantville is
going 20 be full Of rough spots
In the 1916 race the Champion
Red Sox and the White Sox were
the big stumbling blocks for the
Tigers. On games played with both
OF the Sox teams Detroit came out
OF the small end OF the horn. for
Jennings boys lost IA out OF p
games with Eoston and 13 out Of
% against the White Stockings.
The Cleveland Indians held the
Tigers even on games played. win
ming II and losing a like number
with the Tigers CIeveland's stub
by long shot but the remaining
clubs were comparatively easy for
them
However. 1917 is a brand-new
season. and Jennings and his lads
are going into the coming race full
Of fight and with bright prospects
OF making another strong finish
and perhaps winning the flag
There is nothing consistent in the
business Of trying 20 tell in ad-
vance where any ball club will fin
ish in long race. The only thing
a baseball scribe has to work on
is the dope cleaned from past
performances
The dope on the Tigers indicates
that they are well fortified with
hitting and field strength They
finished the 1915 season leading the
league in club batting. with a team
average OF 264. and they fieided
.s67 as a team. finishing fourth in
this department
The earned-run column shows
that they have a stout punch, and
in total bases for the season they
were far in the van last fall.
Everybody credits Detroit with
having a real base-running team
All this must be considered in
sizing up the Tigers. but the fact
that the pitching Of the Tiger staff
last season was the weak cog in
Jennings machine must also be
considered.
The training camp roster OF tho
Jenningsites reveals the fact that he
will make a strong effort to bolster
the hurting department, for five
new pitchers who have been picked
up by the Tigers will be given try
outs. while six OF the veterans COM
plete the list OF seasoned pitchers.
BOland, Coveleslie. Cunningham.
Dauss. James and Mitchell are the
standbys. who must constitute the
backbone of Detroit's pitching staff
The newcomers who are 20 get
chances to disIOdge some Of the
vets as regular pitchers are Johnny
Cough. from San Francisco. who
won a majority or his games last
season: Howard Ehmke. who was
the twir1ing star of the New York
State league champions at SYRIA
cuse and who comes TO the Tigers
highly tOuted. Ehmke established
a new strikeout record In his league
by tanning out 1875 batsmen. Char
ley Watson from DennisOn. OF the
Western association. won IA games
and lost six. He Is also a good
prospect Two otiier pitchers are
Jones and Woods. recruits from the
ivory fields
Considering the Tigers a WELL
balanced club as they stand. aside
from the pitching staff Jennings
has reason TO look forward TO a
good season. and Detroit fans and
critics are sizing them up as red
hot pennant COntenders right now.