New Britain herald., 1918-06-17
WORK OF CHICAGO IS
 SEASONS SURPRISE
Windy City Team Is Bowling Over Opponents With Frequency

Over Opponents With Frequency
 Having defeated Jim Vaughn and Fred Toney, generally recognized as the two leading pitchers of the Ma tional League, in their last two games the Giants are now convinced that their slump is over. Both victories were most impressive. Vaughn was shot up for five runs in the first in- ming and defeated to 0, while big Toney was unable to hold six run lead and was defeated to 2. Gin cinnati errors aided the Giants con- siderably last Saturday. but fifteen runs in two games against Vaughn and Toney indicate that the Giants are getting their punch back
 Admitting that the Giants have played some slovenly ball since they returned home, perhaps the way that the Cubs have been bowling through the east has made the New York team look worse than it really is. So far the St. Louis series is the onlyse, ane which was lost on the present homo stand. Against the four western teams the Giants have won seven. games and lost five. In the last fort night the Giants have defeated Coop CT twice, Tyler Vaughn and Toney, each a National league star.
 The Cubs have been able to take the lead by reason of the fact that they are finding the eastern teams just as tlabby as did the Giants when they ran up @ record of eighteen vic- tories in their first nineteen games. So far Chicago hac won ten out of l --,~1,. their defeats being sustained on the Polo Grounds.
 More Stars to Be Lost. While the Cubs made 8 str6ng inn pression on the Polo Grounds there is little doubt that the team is playing above it's normal form. It is not rettn sonable to expect Merkle and Mann to continue to bat a hundred per cent. l higher than their normal gait. Mer- ! kle has hit 300 only once in his elev- en years in the National league, while l Mann's best mark was last season, when he hit .274.
 By a peculiar coincidence both i Cubs and Giants will lose star men at the same time, thus balancing each others loss. Kauff will report to'the ! cOlors on June 24 and Killefer on July 1. Valuable as Benny has been 1 to the Giants, KilIefer's loss may be still more of a blow to Chicago, as it will leave kid, O'Farrell, and a me- ! diocre player, Daly, to look after the ! Cub catching.
 ! Tho Cincinnati team has turped 1 out to be a disappointment, especial4 1 ly to Matthewson's many friends in l this city, who thought he had cons structed 8 real contender in Redland. l Pittsburgh also has fallen aparti 1 and as has been frequently remarked, 1 Boston has not the pitchers or punch 1 to turn @ miracle this year, or, for l that matter. to seriously menace the 1 Giants or Cubs. Brooklyn, withs stronger lineup, has shown signs of l improvement, as have Philadelphia 1 and St. Louis.
 Yankees Find Going Hard.
 The Yankees had @ rather tough week, and their brief climb into first place a week ago evidently was too | much for them, as they have been wabbling ever since. Yet the team continues to hang on Boston's coat tails, and from every indication will remain a dangerous contender. v Thormahlen has suffered a reaction after his great stretch of success on the Polo Grounds, while Russell also remains unreliable. By carefully jockeying his pitching staff Huggins is bringing results, depending on tha attack to bring in enough runs ftn cover omissions of the twirling de- partment. From western reports Be- dient, the former Red Sox star, has shown nothing and it is ques- tonable whether he will be of any assistance to the club. ara
 Barrow has been forced to do lot of experimenting with his Bostons. but is keeping them in front. He re- gently has found another useful pitching acquisition in Sam Jones. who was tossed over to the Red Sox when the Speaker deal was made in 1916. but always had been bench hand Dutch Leonard is pitching great ball for him, as is Carl Mays.
 Having lost Pitchers Faber and Williams. in addition to Joe Jackson, their most powerful hitter. the White SoX are beginning to founder. They seem to be out of the race this year,
 Cleveland, reinforced by the fe- turn of Third Baseman Evans. is try- ing to get into the American League race and has been playing some f1na ball. Detroit is a baseball mystery. Not only are Jennings pitchers going badly. but his team, supposedly one of the hardest hitting clubs in base ball, is running last in bingling.