Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-26


home stand against the West
ern clubs and the Yankees
that was to be started this
Afternoon the Nationals vii
have to fight for the same goal they
have been fighting for the past three
,yeeks-second place at the finish ol
this years American League race.
: Even by straining the 'imaginatio
TO the utmost, one can nos feason1hlN
see any other club than New York
hagginc the junior league champion
shin for the second successive wear
This morning. the Yanks held a
fhirteen-came advantage over their
nearest rivals. the Nationals, and the
speed at which they have travelled
thus far indicates they are apt to
carry on for some time before run
ming into a slump if they are TO slump
at all.
AS a matter of fact. those who have
been waiting for the Yankee slump
have just about given up hope of
such an occurrence. At that, few more
than owners and managers of clubs
that were within reasonable mathe-
NAUTICAL striking distance of the Hug
men have entertained any idea of
such a break against the league lead
ers. Since July 4. the base ball pub
lie has felt that the American League
struggle is ended in SO far as the
scrap for first place is concerned.
Ruth, Geirig Draw Fans.
The only interest the public appar-
emily has in the campaign now has to
do with the argument between Babe
Ruth and Lou Gehrig over the home
Lao In
ond place. in which at present Ma
tionalS and Tigers are the principal
.contenders. with Athletics and White
SoX in the offing ready for chance
to make it good four-club affair. And
1t must be said that the publics in
terest in this second-place race is mild.
quite mild.
But the Nationals interest in this
struggle is far from mild. Finishing
second would mean much to them
when the 1927 world series melon is
cut. An interleague championship
with such approximations as the
home run twins should draw q record
gate and make the share of the re-
Ceipts that would go to the runners
UP in each circuit pleasantly plump.
"a continue ton in this home stand
of, the sound swatting they did during
their recent invasion of the West
ought tn intrench the Nationals firm
1y in the second berth for another
month. at least, even though there be
no Improvement in the performances
of their pitchers over the last three
weeks. 1t was their hard hitting more
than anything else that got the Ma
tionals a record of IS victories, 9 de.
feats and 1 tie for the trip just ended.
Slam Ball i'm West.
This was true. especially of the
swing through the West, for Bucky
Harris bunch did not distinguish It,
self in New York, where it dubbed at
.279 rate and was BANKED in the
three-game series. Opening their Sec
ond Western invasion of the year in
Cleveland. the Nationals raised their
hitting rate to .289 and swept the six
game series. They batted still better
in Detroit. their average there being
$40. Yet only one of three games was
taken from the Tigers.
They continued to improve in Chi
cago. There they hit the ball for an
average of .346 and took four straight
after losing the opener of tn series.
In st. Louis the club walloped the
sphere for grand average of $50.
Yet it won only two and tied in one
of six games played and was rather
fortunate to score one of the victor
les. That sound smuggling in the Mound
City raised to 1927 the Nationals bat
ting figures for the entire tour and
to 1874 their rate for the swing
through the West
The Nationals were faulty in other
departments, though, and the faults
cost them several games, in which
they hit we'll enough to have won
Base-running, much of the time, was
off color, but more often it was weak
pitching that offset advantages gain
ed through strong swinging of the
fail. The pitching staff simply failed