New-York tribune., 1918-06-11
Giants Rest Up for Battle
Royal With Leaders
of League
By Charles A. Taylor


ing an hour before game time yester-
day, and the Cubs were even more
threatening, so the contest scheduled
between the Giants and the Cards was
called off. The Giants undoubtedly
figured that little rest might not be
a bad idea, for this terrible band, led
by Fred Mitchell, is due to appear at
the Polo Grounds to-day for four
game tussle.
Upon the result Of these battles the
leadership of the National League
hinges. The Giants are now a game
and half behind the Cubs, and in or
der to regain footing at the top of the
ladder it is most essential that they
make a sweep of the series.
This is no easy assignment, for it
will be remembered that on the Giants
recent visit to Cubland they were
beaten three times in row. Mitchell's
team is much stronger now than it was
then, for another star twirler has been
added to the clever trio, jim Vaughn,
George Tyler and Claude Hendrix.
This addition is no less a parsonage
than Phil Douglas. one of the best
pitchers in the game when he behaves
himself.
Phil was i'll with appendicitis for
several months. and pitched his first
game of the season against the Phllies
last Thursday, when he scored a shut
out, holding his opponents to one clean
hit.
Alright Pitching Expected
The Giants are, therefore, doomed to
face some real alright pitching, unless
the strain Vaughn, Tyler and Hendrix
have undergone should cause sudden
collapse in their work. Up to date
these three pitchers have accounted for
twenty-four of the Cubs thirty victo-
rics. Perhaps Douglas has arrived on
the scene just in time to lessen the
burden of his three associates, and also
add 20 the general efficiency of Mitch
ellis hurting corps.
The Cub manager favors the using
in rotation of four able-bodied and eff
fcctive pitchers. 1t was due to this
strategy, if it may be SO termed, that
Stallings and Mitchell swung the
Braves of 1914 into that sensational
run of victories which gave them the
peunant. The Giants, indeed, have
resson tc be fearful of what the next
few days may have in store.
But the Cubs have another big asset
besides their pitching. The statistics
show that the Windy City lads lead the
league in club batting, with an aver
age of .2s2, as against the Giants
.274. The star hitter of the aggrega-
tion is Fred Merkle, for many years a
Giant. who is now renewing his youth
II. L =
old teams btterest rival.
Merkle Real League Leader
Fred is batting .374 for forty games,
and virtually leads the league, as Larry
Doyle, who has the top figure of .426,
There are three other 300 hitters
among the regular Cubs. They are
Leslie Mann, left fielder, with 1927;
Dode Paskert centre fielder, with .324,
and Charley Hollocher, the sensational
new shortstop, with 1923. The Cubs
also have two pitchers who are in the
300 circle, Hendrix, with 1921, and
Vaughn, with $40. So it will be seen
that the Giants pitchers are facing
just as arduous a task as are their
batters.
Forty-fve thousand persons saw the
three games between the Giants and
the Cubs at Chicago last month, and
had Weeghman Park been able to ac-
commodate them, at least twenty thou
sand more fans would have been on
hand. No contests on the diamond for
many, many years have attracted such
interest and enthusiasm as did that
series in Chicago.
There is no doubt that record
throngs will welcome the renewal of
the hostilities between the two teams
at the Polo Grounds to-day, tomorrow,
Thursday and Friday. Excitement in
large punches should prevail during
the entire proceedings.