Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-22

A of power remains in the West
and that the real pennant bat
tie will be between three of the four
clubs which Numbered down the home
stretch last September. Reference. Of
course. is made to the Pirates, Cubs
and Cardinals. Unless the Giants
soon can find themselves they will not
have much more to say about the
finish outcome than they did in 1926.
A year ago the National League saw
the strange condition of all four first
division positions going to the West,
st. Louis. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and
Chicago dividing all the first division
spoils. This odd condition of affairs
resulted from the fact that McGraw
appeared in the second division for
the first time since 1915.
Apparently there is no letting down
I'm this supremacy of the West. Gin
cinnati has fallen by the wayside this
year. but the Reds now are rising
and still think they have a chance to
beat out the Giants.
Squirt of Cubs Continuous.
The remarkable squirt of the Cubs
continues. Have you observed what
this club has been doing this year to
Brooklyn, its jinx of 1926? Last year
the Cubs lost IA out of % games to
the sixth-place Brooklyns. AS Chi
cage finished seven full games behind
the first place Cardinals last year, one
may readily appreciate what this
means. Had the Cubs beaten Brook
lyn IA games to s they would have
finished only game behind the Cardi-
mails.
So far this year Chicago has taken
eight straight from Robby's men, and
II the Cubs can do as well against the
other clubs as they did last year this
new.found ability over Brooklyn may
turn the tide in their favor
However, / am stringing along with
Pittsburgh at the top of my National
League pennant chances percentage.
The week before last the Pirates kicked
away several tough ones, but they are
managing to keep jump ahead of
those fast-moving Cubs. Kremer is
back on the firing line, which will
help. However, / am wondering who
DOME Bush will pitch when he gets to
the double-header season. He has lit
tie reserve strength behind Kremer,
Meadows, Aldridge and Hill.
The Cubs have been boosted to Sec
ond place this week and their pennant
percentage advanced from .490 to SIS.
picked them second to start with.
and perhaps should have strung along
with them right along in that position.
When I picked Chicago to beat out
the Giants, New York fan wrote me
that IL the Cubs beat out the Giants
he is willing to eat my hat. Well. l
have an old felt hat he can practice on
Deal VIII Help Giants.
The deal with the Braves is bound to
help McGraw's New Yorks, as the
Giant chief was in dire need of a first
class, hard-hitting catcher. Zach Tay-
Tor should answer that need, and Larry
Benton should do as well as Hugh Nc
Quillan and Kent Greenfield OF
course, New York fans regretted to
see Little Eddie Farrell get away.
Some even resented it. But the truth
is that Farrell could be spared on the
Giants. and, much as / like the boy,
there is no use hiding the fact that he
was hitting far above his head.
think Judge Fuchs did the right
thing in stringing along with Bancroft.
"Barny" has been no bowling success
as manager, but deserves the right
to finish out this season.
The Cardinals are waging a good
fight, and are right up with the Pitts
burgh and Chicago leaders, near
enough to jump to the front should
these pace-setters fail.
Uncle Robby still has hopes of beat.
ing out the Giants and thinks he'll do
better now that he has his youngsters
back in the East. The magnet draw
ing the Phillies into the National
League coal hole gradually is doing
its work.
The next week should tell whether
the American League will have a race
or whether it will be a procession. At
/ a
the Yanks far out in front and the
remainder of the league nowhere.
1t is up to the Athletics to stop the
Yankees themselves, and they have a
golden opportunity. They play three
successive double headers with New
York beginning next Saturday, and
the series will give them a chance to
wipe out the 9-to-3 edge which the
Yanks now enjoy on them. However,
those Yankee maulers are unlikely to
run under the grandstand when the
White Elephants come rushing into
their arena. So far the Athletic pitch
ing has been a wonderful tonic for the
Yankee batting averages.
With the Yanks blasting home runs
at higher rate than even their rec.
ord output. which was 1874 in 1921,
they should at least win an even
break in this series. Charleyhorse
recently have kept Meusel and Koenig
out of Higgins lineup. but Paschal,
burst and Morehart took up their
bludgeons. and there was no checking
the Yankee machine.
Schalk Deserves Credit.
The Athletics did their best to fol
low the stiff pace of the New York
leaders, but they were thrown back
hard by the White Sox, who rallied
in Philadelphia after disastrous series
in New York and Washington. Ray
Schalk made sure of holding on to
second place a while longer in last
weeks series in Philadelphia. The
former star backstop deserves no end
of credit for the fine showing that he
is making. Like the other Chicago
team, the Cubs. the White Sox do not
look very strong on paper, but there
is nothing wrong with their position
In the standing of the clubs.
Cleveland's supposedly all-star pitch,
ing staff has gone completely to
smash. Even Uhle. winner of q
games last season, is effective only in
flashes. Last week he couldn't even
hold big lead against the lowly Red
SoX. Shaute. Uhle's former fellow
star. has won only two games and
pitched only one complete game so
far Young Hudlin kept the club up
for spell, but he is not strong enough
to support a club on his young shout
dcrs.
The Tigers put in a fairly good
Eastern trip, string of successes
over the Red Sox helping to fatter
Detroit's road percentage. | believe
the worst Of the Tiger batting slrmr
Is over, and that this club will pla5
lot of good base ball in the second
half Of the season.
The Nationals also should play much
better in the second half of the cam
paign. Between injuries and the un