Evening star., 1920-06-25

In one respect-consisten
Mackmen have it all over the Grlffs,
who promise to prove the champion
in-and-out team CT the campaign. Inc
visitors have concentrated on drop
ping ball games with a great meas
ure of success, while the Nationals
first lead their supporters TO nope
that they will soon be up there hSht-
ing for the lead and then cause the
fans to shiver at the prospect OF
watching cellar Cutfit. In the mean
time they go neither up nor down.
but remain practically on level mid
way in the standing.
With the prospect that Stanley Har-
ris shortly will return To the hne-
up and that his pitchers hnaliy VIII
come to hand and display the torn eN-
pected of them, President Griffith is
hopeful of driving the Nationals well
up into the first division during the
long home stand that follows 4 snort
jump to Boston next week IN ileia
ing defense the club has proved aue-
Guate, despite the numerous siidLaS Ia
made necessary in the lnheld, anu
the hitting of the team has exceeded
the pilots most optimistic expecla-
tions. Only on the mound mas IL peeh
lacking What the Nationals VIII ac-
complish in the two-thirds OF the sea-
son remaining depends almost en5lrs-
ly on the measure in which the siao-
men deliver.
Yanks Go Strong in West.
The first invasion of the west by the
clubs of the eastern section failed TO
indicate anything definite so lar as
the pennant race is concerned, except
that the Yankees are the only sea-
board club with a real healthy chance
to land on top at the finish. In their
swing around the frontier the Hug
men won ten games and lost nVe,
gaining nine percentage points, but
failing to cut down the margin OF
advantage held by the Indians VINO,
while entertaining the invaders, regis
tered eleven victories against three
reverses for gain of thirty-one
points. The Yanks practically were
tied with Speakers entry when they
started their tour, and now are one
game in the rear.
The White Sox barely did better than
hold their own. winning eight and
losing six games. to pick up one point
The ST. Louis Browns furnished the
sensational feature, running the IN
dians close second by coping
eleven battles while dropping four in
their stand before the home folks,
gaining eighty-six points.
In breaking even in twelve games
the Nationals were the only eastern
club. with the exception of the Yanks.
to hold their own, Boston having nine
defeats as against half a dozen vic
tories, for a loss of forty-one points.
while Philadelphia's fifteen setbacks
a net loss of fifty nine
points. The Tigers. despite dropping
four games more than the five they
won. advanced from a mark of 1926
to .345.
AS the race shapes up now, Cleve-
land, New York and Chicago alone
can be regarded as real pennant con-
tenders, with the latter's chances
almost as good as those of the two
first-named clubs, despite the fact
they are some five games in the rear.
The SoN are versatile aggregation,
one with lot of punch and plenty
of reserve strength. Their one
weakness to date has been in pitch
ing and at that they seem to be as
well fortified this season as they were
in 1919. The Indians need one more
capable finger to enable them to
stand up under the drive to the finish,
as it is improbable that Coveleskie,
most of the burden and carry it on at
the pace they have been travelling
since the season opened.
Huggins Has Edge in Box.
1t is superior strength on the mound
that makes the outlook SO rosy for
supporters of the Yankees. They are
a murderous hitting crew and have
q really fine staff of moundsmen, both
in quality and quantity. Carl Mays.
appointment. but the underhand
finger is of the iron-man type and
may be expected to strike his stride
when warm weather sets in to stay.
The Red Sox, off to flying start
by reason of unexpected pitching
strength displayed at the outset, are
slowly but surely dropping back to
the position allotted them in the pre-
season dope. With the Browns and
Nationals they remain pennant pos
sibilities, but like them are not
probabilities.
The American League race, while
interesting. does not compare with
the struggle being made in the older
circuit. The Browns, lowest of the
theoretical Johnsonian contenders,
are just ten games back of the pace
setting Indians, while in the National
League only nine games separates the
first-place Reds from the Phillies oc-
cupants of the cellar. The failure of
the Cincinnati hurlers to deliver in
the measure expected of them, with
the unlocked for strength shown by
the Dodgers and Cardinals, has served
to tighten the race. Almost any team
may win here. with the chances favor
ing the champions, who now are in
first place, two games ahead of the