Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-16
BY JOHN b. FOSTER.
= HE Chicago Cubs have started

IN HE Chicago Cubs have started
cruise over the Eastern cir
cult of the National League,
L beginning today at Brooklyn,
going thence to Boston, PhiIa-
delphia and New York. The league
leaders Will play doubleheaders on
August 20 at Boston, August ~. at
Philadelphia and August -. at New
York. All told the Cubs will play IL
games on this Eastern round and
they will need at least six good pitch
ers If the games are to be handled
properly.
Ordinarily Charlie Root. who
already has hung up II victories this
season. would be called upon to- pitch
one game in each eastern city Per
haps he will serve twice in some city
this time. In the games that have
been played. Root has been success
full against every eastern team-most
OF all against Brooklyn and least of
all against Boston, which was hard
nut for him to crack in 1926.
When the Cubs have finished this
trip they are going home to remain
there most of the time and perhaps
to file their teeth for the world series.
At this moment the outlook is en-
couraging for the club dentist and he
may be getting his files in order.
Clubs Gaining on Whole League.
There has been a lot of talk about
the New York Giants gaining on the
Cubs in the last fortnight. This is
not true. The Giants have gained on
st. Louis and Pittsburgh. but they
haven't gained on the Cubs. On Au-
gust !. the Cubs were SO percentage
points ahead of the Giants, and to-
do Mt a Of
That's a gain for the Cubs in any
bOdY's arithmetic.
The Cubs have been gaining on the
whole league. 1t is true that the hori-
zOn has frightened for the Giants, for
they have been playing better ball re
Gently. especially since Benton has
proved to be such fine winning pitch
er for. them. Benton came over from
Boston much like Art Nehf came over
away back when George Washington
Grant was the door knob of the BOs-
ton club. Nehf did not win the pen
nant in 1919 when he was taken from
Boston. 1t was too late. Later he be-
came pennant winner for New York,
Or helpful pennant winner.
Benton may not help the Giants to
make the grade this year, but if he is
at the top of his career or near it he
will have sensibly increased his out
look for salary raise in 1928. That
will amount%to the same thing with
him.
Nine games remain to be played be-
tween the Cubs and the Giants. If
the Giants win all nine. the Cubs will
get a terrific jolt in the thoraX and
some one in Chicago will be running
around crying foul. That kind of DEM
onstration by New York over Chicago
would be something like the demon
stration of the Giants over Pittsburgh
in other years. when the Pirates, leav-
ing home on the last trip of the year
entered into such a jubilee period over
their probable success that they never
came to earth until the pennant had
been lost and some of them had been
fired.
Mccarthy Is a DiscipIinarian.
None of the Cubs is announcing Mt
this moment that they will trim their
rivals and the National League in
general, and if any of them get into
such jubilant frame of mind they are
likely to hear the Mccarthy fist drop
on the anvil. Manager Joe Mccarthy
has Soaked-if that is the Word-two
of his leading pitchers, namely Alex
ander and Kaufman, simply because
they had the mistaken idea that they
were running the team.
If the Cubs break even on this East
ern trip they will have total of IS
defeats, with no more Journeys to
make into Eastern TERRITORY The