Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-24
MORE PUNCH CHIEF
NEED OF GR|FFMEN
Small Box Staff Will Be
Burdened. Until Attack
Functions Properly.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

~ HILADELPHIA, April 24.-Unless
the Nationals improve at bat
soon, their pitchers will have to
i do deal of alright pitching to
get the club anywhere in the
first month of the American League
campaign.
In the five games Walter Johnson's
club had played up to today it looked
anything but scoring machine. It hit
fairly well in games so far as averages
go. but hitting averages do not win ball
games. Victory comes mainly from the
punch in the pinch and the Nationals
have revealed little of this thus far.
In the five games, the Nationals
scored but Is runs and they went
through Al innings to get that many.
That's an average of only "a runs per
9 innings, not such a, striking average
IN these days Of topheavy tallying
The Nationals on offense in the five
games made 80 safeties, sacrifices and
pilfered bases. To this the opposition
pitchers added II bases on balls and a
wild pitch and the clubs played weaken
ed defensively to the extent of five
errors. Yet. all this was good for only
10 markers.
Licked in Five-Run Game.
Only once in the five games did the
Nationals an1aSs as many as five runs
and then they were licked.
The totals registered by the Wash
ington club to date certainly do not
indicate any strength in attack. Some
thing must be done and done quickly
to improve the Nationals extensively or
Johnson's slim pitching staff will be
forced to carry heavy burden.
Perhaps the hurlers soon will be ready
to do much better than they have
Three have demonstrated they are in
good enough trim for a route. Fred
Marberry Travelled along smoothly
through the game in Washington last
Friday and on the following day Sam
Jones, who made such a doleflil debut
In the season opener, went through
eight innings In the Philadelphia in
augural yesterday, Irving Hadley gave
splendid performance before he was
lifted after walking the first Mack to
step to the plate in the tenth inning.
Then there is Adolph Liska, recruit, who
appears sturdy enough to propel his
baf1ing underfall pitches through nine
rounds.
These slabmen and others of the
Stad, too, will have to toll overtime
until the clubs batting eyes are cleared
and sound punch is developed if any
real Roadway is to be made.
Good, hard hitting as well as a high
grade OF hurting is needed nowadays to
make winning ball club, however.
The age of "hitless wonders passed
long ago. The club that rises these
times is the club on which every man
is swinging from his heels-and to date
too many of the Nationals have been
prone to keep bats on their shoulders
and watch good pitches whiZ past
and driving the ball hard and far when
it is met.
Little Chance for Practice.
1t is unfortunate that the Nationals
md themselves so irnpotent in attack
when they have little opportunity TO
remedy the defect. Excepting two DAYS,
they viii be away from their home lot
until May II and thus have no chance
20 get IN morning batting drills, some
thing that might benefit them greatly.
AS it Is, they must get what they
can from the brief daily sessions pre-
ceding the contests and these sessions
may not mean much AS a rule, the
wand drills INDUCED in before the
games only serve to loosen the batters'
muscles. They don't get the batters'
eyes on the ball particularly.
So Manager Johnson can only hope
his charges will come to life in a
batting way suddenly or that his pitch
ers viii deliver in exceptional style
until there is a pick up in offensive
play. That's lot to hope, either way.