Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-19

There is no occasion for Mysteries
over the sorry showing of the Ma
tionals, however. They have present
ed sad spectacle, tbs true, and
never sadder than yesterday. when
their chief reliance in the box and
trio of his assistants were battered
for eighteen hits aggregating twenty
four bases, but season consists or
154 games. not half a dozen, and they
will yet demonstrate that the pre-
season estimates of their caliber We're
well founded.
1t has been the portion of the Griff-
men to start off on the wrong foot
They are performing far below their
real speed in all departments.
In ThrOes of slump Now.
Their fielding has been execrable.
their hitting impotent in the main
and their pitching generally inef-
fective. They are in the throes of
slump that has affected all angles of
their work. but. they may be expected
to snap out of it at any time. the
only danger they face being that If
the emergence is too long delayed
any team fortunate enough to avoid
protracted slump will get too far
ahead to be oVerhauled.
Milan was hopeful of getting away
to flying start knowing that games
won in the spring count for just as
much as at any other time, more, in
fact, because of the confidence begot
by victory. He seems doomed to dis
appointment in this respect, although
one of the winning streaks the Griffs
staged last season would put them
right up with the leaders. but there
Is no occasion for conSigning them to
the cellar this early simply because
they have played second-division base
ball in the first week of the season.
The hitting has been heavy on two
occasions :. opening day and last
Monday. when Washington registered
its only wins-and it had to be to as
sure victory, for the brand of local
hurting presented would have proved
fatal otherwise. In the other four
contests the Griffithian batting has
been extremely light. and lacking eff
fective box work the result was in
evitable. especially in view of the
fact that it has been combined with
exceedingly sloppy work afield.
The Nationals are capable of snap
ply. accurate fielding, and they are
not weak hitting aggregation by
any manner of means. This will be
demonstrated in time. 1t is hoped
that the pitching will attain to a
major league caliber. too. Then the
team will be able to travel at its true
speed
Pitching biggest Handicap.
Despite a feeble attack and fiabby
fielding. it is the incompetency of the
fingers that primarily is to blame for
the miserable showing of the Nation
ais. This was Strikingly illustrated
yesterday. Johnson made his first
start of the season. He made a poor
showing, and those who followed him
looked comparatively worse. 1t was
apparent that Walter is not yet
ready. His arm is in good shape, but
not fully primed. and his general
physical condition is below that at
tanned by his wing.
He yielded three runs in the opener
on as many hits, including a double.
and a hit batsman and walk. Two
safeties were punched off him for
another tally in the second, and after
escaping unscathed for two innings
he allowed another brace of markers
in the fifth, when one fluke hit by
Dykes-a drive in front of the plate
that bounded high into the air-two
walks and a trio of sacrifices were
factors.
Johnson was succeeded by Ray
Francis, who was combed for two
runs in the sixth and withdrawn with
one run over and two Mackmen on
bases In the seventh The Seattle
southpaw's first appearance in big
league game was far from impressive,
and the same was true to an inn
measurably greater degree of Slim
McGrew, who relieved him.
McGrew's Work Ludicrous.
Dangerous Dan" belied his mon
ticker by giving about the Nshlest
exhibition ever seen on Dig league
diamond The writer is personally
acquainted with the twenty-one-year-
old Texan and knows him to be
bright, intelligent chap. but it never
would be suspected from the per-
Torrance he gave in the center of
that diamond yesterday. His first act
was to advance the two runners he
fell heir to with a wild pitch. He
then issued a pass to fill the bases
a hit that scored a run followed. and
then he walked another man to force
in a tally. and a sacrifice fly produced
still another marker.
1t was here with runners on third