Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-06-14

some OF the hatterS nave improved
but the major reason would seem
to be the failure of the pitchers 10
come through
The pitching problem, in fact, Is
the that is bothering the mana
ayers Of most all the teams. Win
ming teams usually have three or
four pitchers that may be counted
upon to turn in victories in at least
60 per cent of the games in which
they work, but such is not the case
this year. Two winning pitchers ha 3
been about all any manager could
muster,
Take the Cleveland team, for in
stance. From the outset it has been
rated as the Classiest club in the
American league and the team has
showed class in every department.
But the string of pitchers has fallen
down. Coveleskie and Bagby have
been the only two men that have
been able to deliver with regular
ity and they have Wobbled consid-
erably the smuggling ability of the
team pulling thcm out of many APP
parent defeats. Uhlo, who last year
was winner don't seem able to
round into form. Caldwell, who
was expected to be the leading
port-sider of the club, has shown
only flashes of real form. Niehaus
and Myers also have failed to meet
expectations. And there the reason
has been given why Cleveland did
not have II safe and commanding
lead in the race by the first of
June. Lack of pitching.
In the National league, the Chi
cago Cubs have been keeping in
the running, so far as pitching Is
concerned, by the work of Alex
ander and Vaughn, Big Alex turned
in eleven victories before he
slipped, while Vaughn had a string
Of six victories. Tyler and other
members of the staff have been
irregular. Reuther has kept tha
Reds up.
Brooklyn has been having pretty
fair pitching but still is regarded as
a dark horse in the race because
of what is considered rather weak
infield and outfield. 1t may be said
that there arc but two exceptions
two teams that have failed to
get up in the race while having
good pitching. They are thu De-
troit Tigers and the New York Gil
ants. Their pitching has been good
enough to win as a general prop
osition, but the rest of their line
UPS have fallen down.
John McGraw, manager of the
Giants, has said that pitching is at
least 65 per cent of the strength of
n team and John ought to know.
The differences between the
Now York Giants and the Yankees
relative to the Yankees using the
Giants park seems to be about
settled for the next few years. 1t
would have been n hard blow to
the Yankee owners if they had
been forced to buy property and
build a new park for next year.
With the present cost of labor and
material it has been estimated that
the kind of a plant the Hanks
would have required would cost
around 100000. And that would
cut in on profits for several years.
Z 1t undoubtedly is a good thing
for the Cleveland club that George
Burns, first baseman, was pur-
chased from the Athletics. If
Dunn had been forced to give in
to the demands of Joe Harris,
holdout first baseman, and pay
him $4,000 in order to have
substitute in event Doc Johnson
was forced out of the game be-
cause of his injured leg, it might
have upset the morale of the
team, All the Indians are report
ed to have been given substan-
tial raises in salaries at the outset
Of the season but Harris demand,
if 1t had been met, might have
caused bad feelings and destroyed
the fine working spirit that has
been, manifest this sason. Harris
undoubtedly thought he had fine
chance to get back into the In-
dams lineup until Burns was
signed. M
Some of the sport writers in
the east now are predicting that
Babe Ruth will bang out forty
home runs this reason. Since Babe
is so far ahead of the number he
had at this time last year it would
,.at ho ctrrprtSiny If no .snu1d