Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-05

Al
with the Yankees here to-
day the Nationals move
on to Philadelphia, where for the
second time within a week they
will have an opportunity to cut
the lead of the fast-Stepping Ath-
letics. This time it will be pretty
near a matter of do-or-die for the
Washington outfit. This morning
the world champions were in pos
session of an eight-game adj
vantage over the Nationals and
thu latter have but seven more
games this season with Connie
Mack'S mauling menage. AS the
season has progressed it is evident
the Nationals cannot expect any
other than themselves to lick
the AS.
This club of Mack's has been NOV
ing along at a remarkable pace since
the latter part of May. During the
first six weeks of the campaign the
world champs were wobbly, but start
ing May IS they hit their true stride.
In their last 70 games they have won
So times and lost 81. That's travelling
at .712 clip. Great speed
Over similar stretch of days the
Nationals have played II games. But
they have won only AZ and lost 20.
That's winning at rate of .592. No
wonder the AS overhauled the Wash
ington aggregation
In stride these Athletics are difficult
to beat. The Nationals are moving to
no bed of roses when they quit New
York tonight.
NEISFORTUNE certainly is logging
Naf No do
get one valuable player back in
the lineup after a lay-of that proved
costly than they lose another. Here's
Heinie Manush just beginning to boil
ster the clubs attack following two
weeks absence that saw the Nationals
skid far from the top. of the league
when Fred Marberry, for months the
pitching ace of the outfit, suffers a
broken wrist that will keep him on the
shelf for at least two weeks and quite
likely a much longer time. What a
break
Marberry has been credited with
pitching more than a fifth of the Ma
tionals' victories this season and he has
been charged with less than one-tenth
of their defeats. He has been without
question the main cog of the Wash
ington mound machine. Now as a re-
suit of that slide into third base dur
ing the second game with the Yankees
here last Saturday he is out for q
time long enough to become quite
damaging to the Nationals cause
When he went into the base Fred
damned his right hand against it and
an X-ray made yesterday of the injured
hand revealed a fracture of a small
wrist bone. So the pitcher now is
wearing q cast on the wrist and there's
no telling how long it will be before he
can use the hand for pitching after
the bone knits.
This much is certain, Marberry will
miss at least f1ve regular pitching turns.
And that's a tough blow to q club that
needs pitchers badly right now.
WITH Marberry out of commission,
w it is likely Acting Manager Joe
Judge will have to press into serv-
ice tomorrow Sam Jones. Generally
Sam Is not so effective with but three
days of rest between games and that |
will be all he will have had if he goes |
to the hill in the opener of the brief |
series with the Athletics. He pitched |
only last Saturday against the Yanks |
here. But the condition Of the staff |
now is such that Judge practically Is |
compelled to assign Jones to the game.
Thursdays engagement with the AS |
probably will find Al Crowder on the |
firing line for the Nationals. While |
the General was too wild to get away |
with the task against the world champs |
last Wednesday, he usually does well |
against them. And what's more, he APP |
pears the best pick of the Washington |
staff.
lake POWELL, the Silver Spring boy |
recently returned to the Nationals
when the New Haven Club of the
Eastern League blew is making this
trip and Acting Manager Judge says
the youngster very likely will be used
as pinch batter If needed. Jake socked
the ball for a fat average In the East
ern League, and though when he first
returned to the big time. it was thought
he might not be capable enough to take
q. shot at major league pitching, it is
now believed he might do in an emer-
gency. He looks natural hitter and he
surely has a deal of power in those
big shoulders of his.