The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-18

4.o and runs per game, While the aver
 age American league club averages AL
 It is the greatest run manufacturing
 machine in baseball and has been for
 many years-yet it cannot win.
 Ordinarily, any manager in any league
 can get a strong defensive team, but
 few can get that extra punch and wal
 lop that belongs to Detroit, because the
 team makes many runs, and, as a rule
 it is easier to pitch for that kind of 8
 team because a pitcher can take chances,
 knowing that his team can make up
 runs, even if the worst happens. Yet
 here is a team averaging 4.5 runs a
 game which could not hold it's opponents
 below an average of AT runs per game. Jennings has admitted that he is not
 judge of pitchers. He has had good
 pitchers and not achieved results from
 them. The team has been hit in vital spot by the enlistment of Ehmke, who, in spite of his mediocre work last year,
 at least could beat Boston, and who ought to be much better this season. Unless Detroit can get pitching that will reduce the average number of runs
 per game scored by opponents, it cannot
 be counted as a permannt factor, as, year by year, it's runmaking power is falling off. It probably will score 40
 more runs this season than any other club in the league, but it's punch is wan 1 ing
 BURNS BIG HELP
 The team is very strong in the out 1 field, especially in driving power; medi-
 ocre behind the bat, although better for tified this spring than usual and it needs some bracing on the first-base side of the infield. There is big chance that George Burns. who has proved a capable, if not a great, first baseman. will be in military service, and that event evidently is expected, since Dres- sen and Blue are ready to grab the job
 and Hillman might be brought in from the outfed. Young is mot a great sec
 ond baseman, but strong and reliable, | and he is dangerous at bat and could | be capably understudied by Bob Jones. l The effort of the management, it Is evident from the dope, has been to for l tify every position the team against 1 the possibility of the demands of the
 war taking away players at the critical moment Detroit could lose one whole team and then put respectable one on | the field.
 1 The other effort has been the annual | one of trying to develop winning pitch l CTS. Jennings has decided to give his once great Harry Coveleskie a final chance to make good He has Dauss, | Erickson, Finneran, Herb Hall, Kallio, | Polsen Roland. Cunningham, Carroll Jones and the Bills-James and Mitchell Numerically, he has plenty, brt in the | light of past performances tb> aggrega- l ton does not look so strong,
 l It would seem that Jennings lost a great opportunity during the wholesale | trading of the past winter in not swap ping a lot of his excess talent, which | cannot be used for one strong pitcher. There were several on the market. Given one strong arm who could pitch 40 games and win close to 30 and the Tigers again would loom up with their annual chal- lenge of the champions.
 l It is a team that is very hard to dope correctly, as we will see when we reach 1 the figures because of the fact that one istrong winning pitcher, backed by the tremendous punch of the team, might 1 change it from a second division clut Iintc pennant runner-up in a few weeks l There is not sign among the newcom. I CTS of any such a development thus far | but it will pay us to watch the Tigers | closely during the spring training
 l Copyright, 1918, by the Bell Syndicate | Inc,)