Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-27

Another double-header, the
fourth for the Nationals within
less than two weeks, is slated for
the Yankee series. Following single
engagements tomorrow and We'd
nesday with the YankS, they will
be met in two games the after
noon of Friday, Memorial day.
johnson said today that Irving
Hadley very likely will open fire
against the New Workers in the
first game of the series. After
Hadley, he will have to depend
upon Fred Marberry, Garland
Braxton and his second-stringers.
According to the club physician, Sam
Jones and Ad Liska will not be available
for mound duty before at least another
week passes. Jones left side in which
he pulled a muscle during the double
bill In New York last Wednesday, re-
mains very sore while Liska still Is hob
bling about on clutches as result OF
the ankle sprain he sustained IL days
ago. However, the club physician says
these two casualS may indulge in light
workouts starting tomorrow.
In base ball these days as in many
other athletic pastimes the best de-
tense is a powerful offense. It's all very
well to keep the other club away from
the plate, but the club that expends
most of its energy in making runs
generally is the winner. That brilllancy
afleld means little unless a club also
packs a punch Is seen In the record OF
the Nationals this season. They have
been around the top of the American
League as fielders from the outset OF
the campaigning, but as winners they
are dangerously near the bottom OF the
circuit.
Beating Walter Johnson'S charges
has been no easy task for league rivals
scores of games indicate. But the fact
remains that they have been licked
and that's no help. In base ball 1t isn't
how a club is licked, for the records
show the game only as loss whether
club goes down fighting or is beaten 70
:. Here are the Nationals with % de-
1eats in 80 games played to decision
and Is Of the defeats were by sonCary
tally. This means that over the greater
part of the flag chase the washington
club has played tight game aneio, puC
Il also indicates it has not had the
power to get any where after nololns
the opposition II check.
Every league rival excepting the 81
Louis club has managed to nose OUT Lhe
Nationals by a lone run. The Red Sox.
the Indians and the Tigers have done so
twice, but the circuit-heading Athletics
have treated Johnson's outfit worse. In
five of the dozen decisions the HOUSE
of Mack has earned in Set-tos Win
washington its margin OF victory was
only single marker.
In these lone-run defeats the Ma
tionals have suffered, the scores have
ranged from to to 10 to 9. In 10 OF
the 10 lckings Of this nature, though
the score-total of both clubs was as
great as IL only once. washington
has been trimmed once, 6 to S: three
times, to 4; twice, 4 to 8; twice, !
to 2: once, 2 to l, and once, l to 0:
That's defense with a capital ID,
but that's all.
Paul Mccullough, pitcher, purchased
from the Toledo club Of the American
Association for $4,000 last Fall, breezed
into Washington club headquarters This
morning. reporting just three months
late. Originally ordered to check in at
Tampa training camp last February %
Mccullough notified the Washington
club he was recuperating from an in
fuenza-b bronchitis attack and could not
be at hand. After that the Washing
ton club could get no satisfactory re-
port on McCulloughs condition, and
asked that Judge Lands put him on
the suspended list.
This was done and now, after wait
ing. three months, President Griffith
wants to know whether Mccullough is
to be Of any use to the Nationals or II
the Washington club may get back the
$4,000 turned over to Toledo.
Base ball law, it seems, voidS a sale
in case the player purchased fails to
report because of accident or illness OF
is voluntarily retired. Mccullough re-
Gently asked to be put on the "volun-
tarily retired" list, but later changed
his mind. So Griffith appealed to Judge
Lands and the base ball commissioner
ordered Mccullough to report here to-
day for physical examination
The pitcher was to go with President
Griffith today to Johns Hopkins Hos
pital in Baltimore to be looked over by
the doctors and should he fail to get