Evening star., 1919-04-14
GIANTS WILL TEST
GR|FF'S TW|RLERS
Harper and Shaw Choices to
Work Today in First of
Seven Games.
TEAMS PLAY IN NORFOLK
BY DENMAN THOMPSON

and Giants. Manager Griffith intends
10 increase the amount of work for his
pitchers SO that by week from next
Wednesday. when the pennant hunt
gets under way, they will be in condi-
Ilon 10 go the full route of nine innings
me pilot this morning said it was his
pan TO assign the pitching burden for
,ne opening encounter to Harry Harper
and Jim Shaw, provided the latter ap-
pears TO be in fit condition to start.
otherwise he will give the New Workers.
Ie1t-handed day of it by sending
Harry Thompson to the mound when
harper leaves off.
Both the Southpaws apnear tn be in
great shape. The New Jersey junkman
says ms arm never felt better than ii
mas this spring and he has experienced
no return OF the trouble which put him
on tne hospital list for parts of the sea-
son OF '16 and II.
Little Thompson was one OF the first
OF the nlnsing corps to round into con-
oitlon at Augusta and is being counted
upon 10 give good account of himself
II IL ne gets the chance this afternoon
due to the fact that he is not as far
advanced in his training as the others.
que TO the fact that he reported more
than a week later. and very much over
weight. The Pittsburgher has had to do
some real hard work 10 decrease his
pounoaSe and has not entirely succeeded
yet As Trainer Martin puts it. Jim
works OFF five pounds at the ball park
and puts on four at the dinner table"
making the process of reducing a hard
and tedious affair The big fellow is
a faithful woker. however, and gradual
iy is attaining his goal. There is no
question about his wing being in splen-
did condition and that's the principal
thing.
Griff's twirlers will be put to
severe test this week in the games
with the clan McGraw. From the top
of the batting order. where George
burns holds forth, right down the line
to the catcher. there is a procession
or batsmen. none of whom can be
held in light regard. And. to add to
the effectiveness of the punch they
versatile ever known. in base ball.
in that from the head of the list to
the bottom the batting order alter
mates between right and left hand
batters. Burns. a right-handed bats
man. is followed by Young, who hits
from the south side of the plate. Next
comes Hal Chase. who, though the
peer of all left-handed fielding first
basemen. is a right-handed hitter. anu
lie is followed by Kauff who does his
sticking left handed. In fifth place
is found the far-famed Heinie Zim-
norman. who wieldS mace in the
orthodox manner. while Larry Doyle.
next in line, bats from the first base
seventh notch. bats in the Burns
Chase-Zimmerman class. In the event
the pitcher opposing the Giants is a
right-hander. Earl Smith. left-hand-
ed batsman, will do the receiving.
while should the enemy moundsman
be a southpaw Lew McCarty. a right
handed hitter. will bat. oIn this man.
ner the maximum strength Of the
Giants can be utilized in every game.
How McGraw's pitchers are going
to shape up is the only thing caus-
ing him worry now. In the box alone
the Giants are an uncertain guam
the state of Tennessee has not yet
expired, and Poll Perritt probably
will not report unless there is a fear
full slump in oil. He has quit base
ball to attend to his wells in Texas.
This leaves the Giants with but two
topliners. Jesse Barnes and Rube
Benton, the latter a southpaw. who
is not as reliable as McGraw would
wish. In addition there is Freddie
Schupp, another forkhandler, whose
future Is questionable; Bob Steele.
still another portsider. who already
has been discarded by the Pirates
and Cardinals; Cecil Causey. who
came to the front last season fast. and
Jesse Winters. a southern collegian. !
who has shown much promise this
spring.
The question of whether the 'sriff-
men and Giants will hop back to
Charlotte to play for the recently re-
turned Soldiers Wednesday is en-
tirely in the hands of the mayor of
that hustling town. Manager Griffith
having failed in his effort to be re-
leased from his contract here.
Griffith will go into executive ses-
sion with McGraw on the ARRIVAL of
the latter totlay from Baltimore.
where the Giants yesterday played
purchase of Davey Robertson. The
swap that was to
have involved the ST. Louis Nationals
having fallen through owing to the
injury to John Layan, Griff is going
to attempt to, get the Giant outf1elder
by tn. purchase route. Robertson's
home is In this city. and he is ex
pected here to participate in the par
ley. There is little question but what
McGraw, who has intimatd he will
accept pitcher and some cash for
the gardener. If there were no more
difficulties Robertson would start
practicing with the Nationals while
they are here. Unfortunately. how
ever. neither tn. Pittsburgh nor the
chicago clubs of the National League
have peen induced to waive on Rob-
ertson as vet, and it appears doubt
full il they will. Furthermore, to get
any of the Washington pitchers Nc
Graw would want out of the Ameri
can League is well nigh hopeless
task.
The game today will be played in
Newport News, across the bay. To-
morrow the two teams are billed to
run I'D to Petersburg. Va. for a con-
test returning here for games We'd
nesday and Thursday and moving on
TO Richmond for skirmish Friday.
then home for the final exhibitions at
Georgia avenue Saturday and Sunday.
Doc Ayers is expected to rejoin the
squad today. He was permitted be-
cause of illness in his family, to go
to his home at Hillsville. Va, when
the Nationals broke camp AT Augusta.
Hal Janvrin will play his first game
today Griffith having decided the
Boston boy has sufficiently regained
his strength to not be effected by the
work. Griff wants him to get the ben
eft of batting against the New York
slabmen, but will instruct him to hold
himself back in every other respect
and will not permit him to do any
base running at all. Davis will play
short, with Shanks in left, sore arm
and all.