The New York herald., 1921-04-10
HOPE OF DODGERS
RESTS0NSUCCESS
0FPlTCHINGSTAFF
National Champions to
Start With Six Effec-
tive Twirlers.
GRIMES REMAINS HOLDOUT
Team Slow on Bases, but Has
Shown Power in At
tack.
GRIMES REMAINS HOLDOUT


the South, are ready to answer the
gong that will start the National
League race. The bell will ring for the
Dodgers in Boston next Wednesday,
and Wilbert Robinson, the jovial leader
of the Flatbush team. hopes to get his
team off on its right foot at Braves
Field.
What are the chances of the
Dodgers this season? That is a ques-
ton which the Brooklyn rooters are
asking themselves on the eve of the
opening of the long campaign. Rob-
inson always has made it a point to
assemble a formidable array of pitch
ers. Last season the team had what
many considered the greatest array of
twirling talent assembled in any one
club In either league and the pitchers
carried them to a championship. Will
the team repeat this year? Whether
it does or not depends on the mounds
men who are on Charlie Ebbets's pay
roll In the coming race as in last
years the greatest strength of the
Dodgers will be in the pitching de-
partment and 1t is the most important
department of any ball club.
Manager Robbie will start the race
with six high class hurlers. AL
2Iamaux. Dutch Ruether. Leon Cadore,
JEFF Pfeffer Sherrod Smith and Clar-
ence Mitchell compose the sextette.
The fate of the Brooklyns rest In their
hands. If as many as four of them can
win consistently the team will be up in
the race all the way and the cham
pionship of the league may be retained.
Mamaux, Ruether. Cadore and Smith
will be used in their regular turn for
the first few weeks of the race.
Hot weather Pitcher.
Pfeffer may not be caiied upon to
start many games while the campaign
Is in it's infancy as he is not an effec-
tive spring pitcher. He Is at his best
in the torrid months of the race and
when he is right is one of the hardest
right handlers In the league to hit Ca
dore is a great spring pitcher. and IL he
does not win more often than he did
during the first three months OF the 1920
race Robinson will be disappointed.
Cadore pitched the famous twenty-six
inning game In Boston soon after the
race opened last year. and the marathon
did him more harm than good.
Ruether, the southpaw who was OBJ
tained from the Reds for Rube Mar
Guard. will be the teams best left handler.
He showed great speed in the exhibi-
ton games with the Yankees. and If he
retains his "stuff' after the opening
gong has been sounded It Is a cinch
that he will win with consistent regu-
larity. Ruether has set twenty-five
victories as his goal this season, and II
will not be impossible to reach the
high mark IL he pays strict attention
to business. If his pitching against
the Yankees may be taken as a critic
rion he should realize his ambition. He
Is enthusiastic over the deal that made
him member of Robbies pitching
star and he Is out to win as many
games as possible for the good ma
tured manager. Mamaux and Smith
are In good shape and ready to CO.
In reviewing the pitching star of the
champions Burleigh Arland Grimes can
not be considered. He is an obstinate
holdout and the team is doomed to start
the season without his services. Eb-
belts has offered the great spitballer
big salary for this season, but the at
tractive offer has been spurned. Grimes
VIII not get what he asks and as he is
in to the owner of the team. If he does
accept what has been offered the Brook
lyns' chances of repeating will be in
creased tenfold. The presence OF Bur-
leigh Will make the pitching stan about
30 per cent. stronger than IL was Last
year, and the Giants, Psrates ana other
leading contenders for the flag will have
mighty tough time beating them out
Depends on Grimes.
How many games can each member
of the great staff of pitchers be counted
upon to VIM If Grimes comes back he
should do as well as last year when he
won twenty-three and lost eleven. But
let us say he does not do quite as good
and wins only twenty contests. Rue
ther should win the same number and
Pfeffers quota of victories may be
placed at fifteen. Cadore and Mammaux
between them should turn In twenty
four winning efforts and Sherrod Smith
may be counted upon to win ten games
and Mitchell seven. That Is a total of
ninety-six victories and should be
enough to win the National League pen
nant.
Mitchell is lefthander who uses a
spftball and I'm past years has been very
intends to use him often when playing
McGraw's men, and II Is logical TO be-
lieve that he will continue as Giant
killer. Most of the games he won last
season were at the expense OF McGraw's
team.
The Dodgers outfield will be the same
es 1t was last year. Griffith and Nets
will divide the task OF guarding right
field. with Griffith on duty when a
Highlander Ia pitching for the opposi-
ton In centre Hy Myers will be an
chored and Zack Wheat will cover left
Sfsld for the thirteenth consecutive sea-
son. Hood and Lamar will be the re-
serve fly chasers and both are good men.
The infield will be composed of Honey.
kilduff. Olson and Johnston. The last
named went through his first year as n
thiro baseman last season, and this
spring has shown an Improvement in
his work.
Otto Miller and Ernie Kruger again
will divide the backstop work. Miller
was the best fielding backstop In the
league last season and was outhit by
only one other catcher--Earl Smith of
the Giants He is a better catcher than
most people imagine. Lack OF color
holds him out of the limelight
Dangerous Batsmen.
the Yankees may be taken as a criterion
the Dodgers should pack hefty wallop
during the race. They are slow on the