Evening star., 1925-03-25

Others slated to pitch for the Ma
tionals today were Jim Mcnamara and
Harry Kelley, youngsters getting
their first trials with a major base
ball organization.
For a time Manager Harris feared
It would be difficult to find hurlers for
his early exhibition contests, but so
many of the squad of fourteen carried
by the Nationals now are in such ex
cellent form that Bucky does not have
TO worry when making mound assign
meRs. At present he is more con-
cerned with the clubs batting, or
rather it's lack of batting. The clever
ness of the players in handling their
warclubs may well be gauged by the
game at Palmetto yesterday, in which
they were fortunate to beat the Buff
falo Internationals, to /. All the
world champions could CLEAN off the
collective offerings of three Bison
pitchers were two safeties, both sin
giles, made in the eighth inning.
Stick Work Is Disappointing.
That is far from the amount of
batting expected of a big league club
in a game at this late stage of the
training season, especially when the
men are facing hurlers below the
major league grade. Harris is not at
all satisfied with the clubs weak
clouting, naturally, but believes it
will hit at a reasonable rate soon. The
men are to get an abundance of bat
ting practice this week, and the man
ager expects an Improvement before
the Nationals beegin their journey
north.
There will have to be an improve
ment before that, probably, if there
is to be any considerable improve
ment between now and the opening
of the American championship cam
paign. Once the club breaks camp
here there will be little opportunity
for wand drills, except the brief pre-
game affairs. Morning practice likely
will be held when the club is at home,
, but the schedule this year does not
have the Nationals in Washington
for a stay of any length until June.
For a day or two last week the
Nationals seemed to be on the verge
of batting splurge. They met the
ball well and recorded hits frequently
but the relapse into their former
weak hitting habit came suddenly.
and since they have been unable to
regain the punch they flashed. In
their last three games the world
champions have made only a dozen
safeties. That total is much too low
TO be satisfactory to all concerned,
but much better hitting rate may
not be developed quickly.
Pitching of Higher Order.
Inability to slap the ball soundly was
the only flaw in the work of the Ma
tionals yesterday, though their pitch
ing was of high order, each of the
trio of moundsmen who performed
getting along well. Joe Martina and
Allen Russell, veterans, who were not
supposed to be ready for any heavy
duty in the exhibition series, sur
prised their manager by turning in
three good innings each, while Brill
heart, although yielding the Bisons'
lone tally, appeared in better form
than at any other time this Spring
Martina was nicked for three hits
in the first inning, two of the blows
occurring in the opening round, but
Joe seemed much stronger and had
more speed and better Control than
in his previous tricks of work on the
hill this year. Brillheart gave up two
hits in the last of his three innings,
but was employing a change of pace
quite effectively most of the way.
Russell used a spitball so well that
not a hit was registered off his de-
livery.
The Nationals were called upon to
face Jim Brice and Ben Auer, right
handlers, and Bill Proffitt, portsider.
Brice hurled in the first four frames
without granting anything that had
the appearance of a hit. Auer toed
the slab for the next four rounds
and held the Nationls at bay until his
last inning. Proffitt was wild and fill
ed the bases in the ninth, but the
world champions got nothing out of
1T.
A pass to Spencer paved the way to
the Bisons' run, made in the sixth
session. Brillheart famed Miller, but
Spencer pilfered second base while
Anderson was at bat, and romped
home when Andy socked the ball to
left for two bases.
The Nationals got their tallies in
the eighth, white Tate opened with
a single to left field, the first hit
credited to the world champions in
the engagement. Russell bunted and
the pitcher elected to try for Tate al
second, but the throw was too late.
McNeely popped to the second base
man, then Harris walked, crowding