Evening star., 1925-07-22

Time was when the. Nationals ap-
peared smugly satisfied with their
position. They embarked upon their
second Western trip of the season
almost cocksure that the Athletics,
well drubbed by the Yankees after
taking a sound thrashing in Washing
ton, were at the turning point. When
the AS fell so miserably before the
Indians in the first series in the West,
the Nationals were quite certain that
Connie Mack's team no longer was
to be considered a menace in the pen
nant chase.
Then things happened. The Nation
ais weakened pitching staff became an
easy target for the opposing batters,
Washington batsmen lost their eyes
and finally the defense wavered. At
the same time, the Athletics staged a
fine form reversal and won handily
while the champions We're so buffeted
about that they found themselves in
second place with their underesti-
mated rivals at the top and 'goin'
strong"
Hard to "Come Back"
AS in any other line of athletic en-
deavor. in base ball it is difficult to
''Come back That IS true of the
club as we'll as it is of the individual
So the Nationals had to settle to the
grim task of catching the AS, at last
fully realizing the power of Mack's
aggregation of young fellows.
Following the slipshod play in Chi
cago and the disastrous visit to ST.
Louis, the champions began to get
themselves together in Detroit, where
they produced some good pitching and
fair hitting, but not enough to take
the series. They were coming out of
the dark in Tygertown, though, and
in Cleveland jumped briskly into the
light.
Everything done by the Nationals
IN the Forest City seemed to be alb
solutely right. For the second time
this season National pitchers did not
have to be relieved on three consecu-
tive days. Vean Gregg, Dutch Rueth-
er and Stanley Coveleskie toiled with
out a break. Hits off National bats
were plentiful and timely and afeld
the club performed with the machine
like smoothness that characterized it's
work during the home stand in June.
Squirt May Be Continued.
Perhaps that squirt will be carried
into the three game series starting in
New York tomorrow. If it is carried
into the last block of engagements
with the Yankees in the big town this
year, the Nationals may reasonably be
expected TO DeSln the ZU-Qay nome
stay primed to repel the invasion of
the Western clubs and the New
Workers, who are to be encountered.
But a reversion to the slump the club
wallowed in during the greater part
of the Western tour probably would
be disastrous. They frequently "come
back" once in base ball, but rarely
twice.
One of the most pleasing features
Of the trip through the West was the
fine manner in which Everett Scott
stepped into the position that an
injury forced Roger Peckinpaugh to
vacate in the first game in ST. Louis.
A trif1e wobbly at the outset, the
Deacon looked none too good, but once
he accustomed himself to working
with the other parts of the infield
machine he improved rapidly.
His fielding, in the Cleveland series
especially, was noteworthy, while he
became one of the leaders of the club
in batting during the "Trip. He made
IA bingles in 81 times at bat, most of
them of the timely variety. and his.
efforts on the runways We're of high
order %s
Peck's injured thumb is fast heal
ing, and it may be that the regular
shortfielder of the Nationals will re-
turn to his job while the club is here.
But should he not find himself ready
to resume his task, the champions
are not likely to suffer if Scott contin-
ues to romp around the shortfield and
shine at the plate in the efficient way
he did in the past week.