Evening star., 1927-06-03


hitter is not at his best against
i left-handed pitching. The right
handed swinger Is expected to
produce when facing hurting or the
orthodox variety, but when the attn
lete swinging from the other side falis
10 sock the slants of the portsder ms
alibi is quite ready. :,
And the ball players persist in
believing that the left-hander is
weak against the southpaw slabbing'
although for years left-hand swingers
have formed the ma jority OF the star
batting class in the major leagues
Because of this pet theory Oh base
bali Sammy West who swings from
the left side, although reckoned flne
hitter. was kept on the Nationals
bench this season whenever the oppo'
sition employed pitching OF the left-
handed style. Sammy might enter
game when right -hander was WORK
ing on the hill for the foe, but as soon
as a portside relief hove into view
Sammy was derricked and right
handler sent to bat in his place.
But that was not done yesterday
when Manager Dan Howley or the
Browns decided early in the sixth IN
ming that Milton CASTOR, the right
handler who had started against the
noon. Howley replaced CASTOR with
the portside-pitching Ernie Wingard.
AS Ernie took the hill it was Vests
turn to go to bat. Sammy had combed
CASTOR for two singles and walk
and he was sent against left-hander.
West Immediately socked one OF VIM
CARDS pitches to center for corklng
single, his best-looking drive or the
game, too.
Griffs' Line-Up Revised.
Because of the poor hitting his club
has been doing and with Joe Judge,
regular first sacker put out OF COM
mission by a charleyhorse, Manager
Stanley Harris revised his National
lineup for the game. iris Speaker
volunteered to assume Judges first
base role, so Harris decided to use
West in center against right-hand
hurting and Earl McNeely in the same
field when a portsider was on the
Job. 1t was also planned to replace
Sam Rice with Nick Cullop when the
opposition worked a southpaw.
Now maybe Vests good performance
against both kinds of pitching, Whlie |
the Nationals were taking the series |
opener from the Browns, IL to :, Will |
cause Harris to reconsider his Nne-up |
plan and retain the fleet young Blrm' |
ingham graduate in the middle gar
den. West hit the ball savagely whlle |
in the Southern Association, and to |
get his high batting average he must |
have punished left-handers as we'll as |
right handlers. He might prove right |
effective against them in the big show. |
The substitution of Speaker for |
Judge at the initial base did not weak |
en- the Nationals defense yesterday. |
The only work iris ever had done be-
fore at this station was in practice |
and a few exhibition contests. yet IN
his first real trial at the post ne TOOK
good care Of his IL chances. -Four OF
the five double.plays the Nationals
made in smothering the Browns were
completed at first base and In reach
ing after the ball for the completion OF
these two.ply killings, Speaker never |
seemed bothered by the runner charg- |
ing upon him. ssla} 1~*
Eight Double Plays Made.
Double-play making was feature
of the fray. The Browns registered
three, to raise the total for the day
to eight, just one less than the big |
league record for such fielding feats
in a championship contest. The Ma
tionals, by the way, shared in setting
the record at nine, making four of
these plays while the Tigers made five
In a tilt played on May 81. 1925.
The Nationals lost little time in
breaking their losing streak of two
games. They stormed CASTOR at the
outset and had comfortable lead be.
fore Hollis Thurston was reached for
a couple of runs in the fourth frame.
Then Hollis yielded three of the nine
hits charged against him. Outside of
that round he was the same old jinx
to the Browns and continued smoothly
to his thirteenth win over them since
leaving their fold.
Before the sixth inning was far
under way the Nationals had reached
CASTOR for a dozen safeties, the last
three being made in succession after
one was out > in the sixth. That
brought Wingard to Gaston's relief
and the southpaw gave up three hits,
three passes and three runs in his
brief term on the slab.
A couple of singles with a sacrifice