Evening star., 1925-07-23

J
this season, toeing the slab for the
Bucky Harris, Walter Johnson. who
has not hurled since June 80, is rea
used here Saturday or Sunday.
-. Roger Peckinpaugh, shortstop,
weeks by an injured thumb, also i
game series here. Goose Goslin, ord
an affair at arms on the playing field
again. His suspension was lifted yes
The Nationals will send their most
formidable array into the battle with
the Yanks and will have no alibis If
the fight goes against them.
Perusal of statistics relative to the
attacking power displayed by the Ma
ttenals during their recent journey
through the West reveals the prin-
efpal cause of their lack of success In
that sector, Although hitting for a
a respectable average for the entire
trip, half of the time the Champs were
practically helpless before enemy
noundsmen.
Club Records Misleading.
In IA engagements in the West the
club shows a stick work record OF
.301. Real good at first glance, but not
so good when the figures show that
only in Cleveland where the Indians
were IrOunCeO 1Or three SIIdl6hlS oiu
the club exceed the trip average.
Only hardy hammering of the Tribe
hurlers saved the faces of the World
Champions. Iris Speakers fingers
were socked at a APT rate. In Chicago,
where the Nationals broke even with
the White SoX in four games, the
Champs batting rate was .298. Two OF
three tits were lost in Detroit, when
the club hit for PSF, and three of four
games were dropped in st. Louis,
when the batting average Of the Har-
riSmen was .226.
That's the story in a nutshell of the
Nationals failure to get better than an
even break in their second Western
trip of the year, while the Athletics
were running roughShod over their
rivals in that sector to win 10 or 10
games and reduce the league-leading
Champs advantage by two full games.
Rice Leader for Trip.
Only one regular who played
through all four series hit better than
800 That was Sam Rice, who swat
ted for an average of 1861 with his
%. hits, but Sam had to do some
mighty batting in Detroit and Cleve-
land to reach his figures. Averages
made by others who were in all
games of the trip were:
Oswald Bluege, .296, with 16 hits;
Earl McNeely, .286, with Is hits;
Backy Harris, .2S1, with 16 hits.
Joe Judge got into action long
enough to amass .444 average. with
IL hits, while Goose Goslin made but
II hits for an average of .275 before
being chased from the game in Cleve-
land. Moon Harris, who played both
first base and outfield at times, got
mark of .286, with 10 hits.
In the Chicago series Roger Peck
11a@
swatted safely only twice, for an av-
erage of .125. Peck did not get
turn at bat in ST. Louis before an
injury forced him out of the lineup
for the remainder of the trip. Ev
erett Scott, who succeeded Roger at
shortstop, hit for .359, with IA safe
ties.
High Mark for Ruel.
Muddy Ruel slammed the ball for
a mark of 1857, getting Is hits, while
Hank SEVERED, the only other catch
er used, failed to get a hit in 6 times
at bat. Dutch Ruether was the real
leader of the pitching staff at bat.
He smote the ball at .357 clip in
making hits. Vean Gregg swung a
wicked bat in Cleveland, getting 2
safeties, to make his trip average
~ead 400.
Fred Marberry got a swat to make
mark of 1913, Jez Zachary got hits
and batted at a .222 rate, while Stan
ley Coveleski socked the ball once in
Detroit and finished the tour with a
rating of .091. Allen Russell and
Curly Ogden went hitleSs.
Mule Shirley and Memo LeiboId had
chances to slam the apple. Shirley
failed to meet 1t safely in his lone time
at bat, while Leibold got one smack in
three turns, for an average of .333.
In Chicago Goslin's falling batting
mark and the inability of the lower
end of the order to produce at bat
hurt the Nationals in the two games
they lost. The Goose hit for but 1853
against the White Sox hurlers, while
all Bluege, Peck and Ruel could get
in that town were 10 hits in the four
games.
Sam S1umps in St. Louis.
In ST. Louis Rice's war club be-
came practically useless, while the
marks of Goslin, McNeely and Bluege
shrunk terribly. Rice had Is legal
turns against the Browns pitching
corps and combed it for a lone bfngle.
Goslin got but 8 safeties in 16 trials
there, while McNeely batted as low
as .222 and Bluege's average for the
four games was .231. Perhaps the
Nationals were fortunate to grab one
game in the Mound City.
McNeely, Rice and Goslin bettered
their averages remarkably in Detroit.
Earl and the Goose jumped to 1913,
while Sam got six hits for an even 500
against the Goldman. Bluege, though,
topped to 200, while Bucky Harris
dropped to .154 and Ruel to .125. Judge
slammed for .667.
But everybody except McNeely and
Moon Harris awakened at Cleveland.
Judge slammed for .667, Rice pound
ed the Indian pitchers at a .533 clip,
Goslin at 500 and Bluege and Scott at
.462. Prominent among the battery
men were Ruel with Cleveland rat
ing of .545 and Reuther with .667. Nc
Naely- though. hatted at only a .2S6