Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-06


Nationals suddenly undergo start
ling form reversal the visit of the
crowd from Cleveland will not prove
pleasing. Right now the Tribe is
heading the second division and is
just a jump ahead of Bucky Harris
bunch that was licked, 9 to l, yester-
day by the Browns for the third time
in a row.
While the Indians have been travel
ing at gait only a trifie faster than
that followed by the Nationals since
the beginning Of the championship
campaign, they have revealed more
punch in attack and seem capable of
making an afternoon miserable for
any opposing pitcher. McCallister
club has been hitting the bali in the
zoos, while the Nationals have been
polxing the pill for rating less than
.270. And that's something to con-
slider in figuring the local aggrega-
TONS chances Of success in the i'm.
pending four game series.
Manager Harris has announced that
Hollis Thurston, who has been doing
some good hurting thus far and was
the only member of the Nationals
mound corps able to score over the
Browns in the set of games concluded
yesterday, will be the first of his
pitchers to face the. Indians. Then,
according to the present pitching
plans, Horace Lisenbee and Walter
Johnson will get turns against Nc
Callister's. crew. After these three,
who knows?
Indian Lineup Changed.
The Indians will put on. the field
here tomorrow a team differing in
personnel considerably from that of
last season and somewhat different
from that the Nationals faced in
Cleveland last month, when they split
a two.game series. George Burns still
is holding forth at first base and bat
ting like a fiend. and Joe Sewell re-
tains his shortstop berth, although he
has not been such a dangerous hitter
as in the past. Charley Jameson
again is left fielder and a good hitter
and Homer Summa is playing right
and not hitting so well.
There's a stranger to local fans at
second base, however, in Lew Fon-
SEGA. He has taken Fred Surgeons
place and performed in fine style. In
cidentally, Lew is clouting the ball
vigorously and already is rated on the
batting end as one of the best hit-and-
run men in the league. Bill Hodapp
appears to have wrested the third base
job from RUDE Lutzke, mainly because
Bill is knocking the apple better than
the Rube ever did. Bernie Neis, sold
by the, Nationals to the Indians dur
ing the training season, and Fred
Eichrodt have been sharing the center
field assignment vacated by iris
Speaker. Neis has been filling the
place recently.
Luke Sewell has done virtually all
the catching for the Indians this sea-
son and in splendid manner, too. He
has been pegging to bases wonderfully
and enjoying his best season at hit
ting. Luke's work with the stick thus
far has counted heavily for the In
dams. Their pitchers, though, have
or the Nationals mound staff. And
1t has been this Indifferent hurting that
has held back the Tribe.
More than Indifferent hurting is
holding back the Nationals. however.
They have been hitting miserably,
showing little judgment on the paths
and fielding with the speed of snails.
All OF these faults We're revealed yes
terday when they failed for the third
successive time before the Browns.
Braxton Is Hit Hard.
Garland Braxton, south paw, started
q game for the second time this sea.
son and might have Jared somewhat
better had his support been faster.
But Braxton was reached for an even
dozen hits in six innings in addition to
giving up a pass that figured in the
scoring, and that no pitching to write
nome about. George Murray sue
ceeded Braxton and he also suffered a
sound humping, four hits-two of
them for extra bases-and a pass be.
ing CLEANED off his deliveries.
Back of these slabmen, the Nationals
were anything but impressive. The
infield while the regulars were in their
places was as helpful to Braxton as a
sieve to a water boy. Grounders
ektdded by the inner Gordon with star.
thing frequency, Topper Rigney, at
short, being especially weak at cover.
ing territory. He seemed to be play.
Ing on the proverbial dime.
AS 1t turned out, what the Nationals
did in the box and af1eld made little DIFF.
ference. Pitching against them was
their former teammate, Jez Zachary.
and the colorless but able southpaw
stopped them in their tracks in all but
one frame. Six safeties and four
passes were yielded by Zach and in
one session after two were out the
Nationals managed to cluster a couple
OF clouts and avert shutout. They
did not do that until after the Browns
were far ahead.
Game Sewed Up i'm Fifth.
Two doubles of Braxton accounted
FOR st. Louis run in the fourth,
Bing Miller hitting with one out and
Fred Schultz seeking the sphere
after the second out had been made.
In the fifth, the Browns proceeded to
sewed up the game. Gerber lined q
single to left and after Zach failed to
put down a sacrificial bunt, took
third when O'Rourke slid a one.baser
by Rigney. Harris knocked down
Adams bounder. but it was good for
q single, scoring Gerber.
Braxton got to Sisters grounder too
quick for either Rigney or Harris to
cover second. The pitcher did not
bother about third base, letting
ORourke go there, but heaved out
the batter. Miller then ripped q
single to left and two more runs
crossed.
In his last inning on the hill, the
sixth. Braxton, after two were out
gave up a pass and three singles in q
row and these were good for two
tallies. Then Boss Bucky sent
reserves into all positions EXCEPT