The sun., 1918-07-21
FEW SURPRISES IN
BIG LEAGUE RACES
Leading COntenders Run True
to Form as Halfway Post
Is Reached.
CUBS DELIGHT ADMIRERS
Making Giants Play Second
Fiddle--Red Sox Make Good
Early Predictions. =.
CUBS DELIGHT ADMIRERS
~ sHORTsTOP.

completed their seventy-seventh game,
and while there have been some big up
sets and disappointments. on the whole
the leaders are running up to the form
expected OF them. go
Last winter the Giants were picked to
be the leading contenders in the Ma
tional League, with the Cubs their near
Red Sox. because Of their pitching staff,
looked like the best bet. with the Yam
KEGS running strong second.
The Cubs at present are sprinting
ahead OF the Giants in the National
League. Their lead Is a tidy one. With
a strong pitching stan and more ag-
gressve offence. the CUBS should re.
main in front. though the operation Of
the draft law may pull the Cubs from
their lofty perch the same as It did the
Giants. .- --......
Much Of the credit for the great sue
cess of the Cubs this year belongs to-
Fred Mitchell, the veteran coach, who
has been In charge Of the Cubs for the
last two seasons. Many baseball critics
give Mitchell as much credit as they do
Stallings for the great climb the Boston
Braves made In 1914, when they marched
from last place in lhly to a worlds
championship. There Is no question that
the careful coaching of Mitchell was
greatly responsible for the sensational
pitching OF James, Rudolph and Tyler,
particularly the former.
A Fighting Com bination.
One thing for which the Cubs deserve
great credit Is the way they kept on
fighting after Uncle Sam picked Grover
Alexander of the club in the first fort
night of the season. That was a blow
hof ah Ia ~
most clubs. as the new Cubs were to be
constructed around the great pitcher.
Mitchell. however, had other strong
pitchers Jim Vaughn. a lazy. slovenly
member Of the Yankees while the same
Mitchell caught for the team. has de-
veloped into the most consistent winner
In the National League under Freds
capable handling.
The offensive strength Of the Cubs has
been erected around Hollocher. the short
stop find. and Merkle, whose batting av-
erage is beginning to take on a more
normal aspect. The catching Of Killefer
also has been one Of the big factors in
the clubs success. As Hollocher and
Killefer are booked for National Army
berths in the near future. the Cubs may
take quite drop in percentage.
Giants Considerably Weakened.
The Giants also must be given credit
for the manner in which they have held
up after the losses sustained in playing
timber since the start OF the season.
Their pitching staff especially has been
cut to ribbons. with Benton, Barnes and
Anderson called into the National Army.
Tesreau gone to the Steel League and
Schupp of no use since the opening Of
the season.
With Kauff called to the colors and
Doyle laid UP for weeks the clubs attack
also has suffered. while HoNe has been
playing a weak game most Of the year
Pittsburg's strong game. which has
entrenched the club in third place, 10
perhaps the greatest surprise In the Ma
tional League. as the. Pirates have lost
over a dozen players to the service. in
Guiding Hamilton, who won his first six
games Carlson, Evans and Ponder.
other promising young pitchers. and
Stengel, who Tas expected to put the
punch into the team.
Reds ana Cards Disappoint.
II Pittsburg is playing above the form
expected of It. the two big National
League disappointments have been the
Reds and the Cardinals. With a. strong
an offensive as there is in baseball to-
the Cubs and Giants for the lead. In
stead OF wallowing around the .45O
mark. especially since the club has been
permitted to retain Toney, The club
also has sustained smaller losses by rea-
son OF the draft laws and enlistments
than any other team.
Early in the season. Miller Higgins.
who managed the st. Louis Cardinals
for five years before coming to the Yam
KEGS, said he considered them the best
team in the western end Of the National
League. However, the Cardinal lineup
has changed from day to day, and It
would be unfair to blame Hendricks for
the present plight OF the club.
The Phillies have done little better
than was expected. Of them last spring.
owing to the weakened condition OF
other teams while Brooklyn unquestion-
ably would have done better had ser
vice" vacancies been filled with minor
league material. Little was anticipated
rom the Braves, and they are showing
Little.
White sox Shot to Pieces.
In the American League. Boston. New
York and Chicago were regarded as the
leading contenders. At the start of the
reason no one suspected the White Sox
case, Cleveland has taken the place OF
Chicago as one OF three American
League contenders.
Boston has been ably handled by Man
-ger Barrow, who took charge OF the
cub after a fourteen year absence from
big league baseball. Several times the
Red Sox seemed to be on the verge OF
breakup. but each time Barrow pulled
Tie club together and started II on a
new advance. The play of the Boston
club Is particularly noteworthy when II
considered 1t has more stars In SER
wee than any other major league club.
however, the terrific batting by the con-
Verted pitcher, Ruth. has more than on
get the loss Of Duffy Lewis. the clubs
former cleanup man.
The Yankees, who ran second during
the best part of the first half Of the
teason and twice fought their way into
we lead. have played pretty well UP to
FORM, 1t was recognized last April that
With the departure Of Shawkey. Fisher,
Smoker and Cullop from the pitching
stan' with the uncertainty concerning
NaldWeil. the team would be wofully
weak in pitching. but the brute force In
'he teams attack was considered strong
enough to counteract weak pitching and
70 Keep II in the race. This Is exactly
what has happened. When the Yankees
wood Factor in Indiana Success.
Cleveland. a club which looked shot to
pieces last winter. has exceeded the
'ohdest expectations OF its admirers. For
quite spell the club was forced to get
s'ohs with mediocre talent on first and