Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-30
NATIONALS IN TRIM
FOR CRUCIAL SETS
Six Games Here With Yanks
and Macks May Decide
Fate of Club.
By JOHN b. KELLER.

THTS afternoon. the Nationals in
securely perched on the fourth
rung Of the American League
L ladder, were to begin a string o
six games that may decide thei
fate in this years championship affair
Three games with the Yankees. whose
lead is seriously threatened by Connit
Maek's stampeding White Elephants. arr
TO be followed by as many contests with
the second-piace Phfladelphians ThS
Yankee Tits are listed for today, Satur'
day and Sunday. On Monday, which
will be Labor day. the Nationals viii
tackle the Athletics twice and follow
With single engagement Tuesday. Truly
a trying schedule for the Washington
aggregation,
If Bucky Harris and Company man.
ages to take the odd game in each OF
these bic sets, il viii stand fair chance
of fighting for the fourth place berth 1t
nov occupies to the finish of the cam
paicn. Should the Washington base ball
concern fail to get the better of the
opposition III the majority Of the sin
games. though. it probably would find
itself below the first division when ii
starts it last Western invasion of the
year And getting back into the upper
bracket at the expense of the outfits to
be encountered in the West very likely
would not prove easy.
Certain il is that these meetings with
Yankees and Athletics will be productive
OF much red-hot battling. For If the
games are of Importance to the Nationals
in so far as their fourth-place aSpira-
tions are concerned. they are of much
greater Importance to the rivals to be
met. The Yanks will be struggling despe-
rately to maintain their slender lead
over the Mackmen and the Mackmen in
turn. when they arrive. viii be striving
TO the utmost to forge ahead OF the
wabbly New Workers. No tame AFFAIRS,
these games.
Miller Higgins has brought into the
CAPITAL club not nearly as strong as
the one he showed here early in July.
And then the Yanks were not so power
full. The best they could do against
Washington club rather weaker than
now was take two of four games. Eacn
was grabbed by one-run margin ana
for one Of the wins the New Workers had
ia 90 into overtime. Today. the Yankees
aren't getting the best of pitching and
are not hitting as heavily as formerly
In fact. their average attack Tor some
time has been about run under tneiT
defense average and that doesn't mean
powerful club.
The Nationals were not scheduled
for league competition yesterday. but
the day was not wasted. All hands re-
ported early at Griffith Stadium and
went through a good workout. despite
the heat. followed by skull drill. Every
member of the squad, except Goose Cos
lin. whose throwing arm stili means
little is in tip-top trim for the battling
ard Goose. other than the ailing wing,
Is fit for the fight.
The business Office of the club did not
idle Yesterday. either 1t announced
the purchase from the High Point CiuD
of the Piedmont League Of II. P. Bolton,
= 2o-vpar-old catcher. who is TO JON
the Nationals ON or shortly before Sep
TENDER IL. Bolton IS said TO have
good throwing arm and as left-nanu
batter he has been banging the nan ~
q .393 rate.