Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-13
TIGERS GRADUALLY
OVERLAPPING TRIBE
BengaIs for Past Month Play
at First Division Gait for
Average of 500.
By HUGH S. FULLERTON. JR.,
Associated Press Sports Writer.


LMOST obscured in the struggles
" of the mighty around the top
~ positions in the major league
standings, the Detroit Tigers
have been putting on squirt that has
carried them almost into the first divi-
sion Of the American League. The
Tigers are only one and one-half games
behind the fourth-place Cleveland In
dams today. despite their inability to
cope with the heroic gestures of Babe
Ruth in their opening clash with the
New York Yankees yesterday.
While the Tigers were losing one
game, due to RuthS demonstration OF
the reasons for his great reputation,
Cleveland was dropping two to the
Philadelphia Athletics to make the
fourth-place struggle more interesting.
The Tiger record for the past month
has been of first division caliber, Ia
victories and IL defeats for an average
of 800. In the same period only the
rampant Athletics and the Yankees
have done better than that.
The Yankees stopped the Detroit climb
for a while yesterday. but only after Ruth
had put on a great performance to win
q 6-to-5 decision in close battle. The
Babe clouted his forty-third homer in
the third inning, with his mascot.
Jimmy Reese, on base to climax q big
Yankee rally, then drove in the win
ming run in the ninth at the highly
crucial moment when there were two
out and two strikes on him,
The victory was not of much use to
the Yanks except to hold them in their
position behind Philadelphia and Wash
ington without q serious loss.
With Nose Grove and Bill Shores
pitching q pair of good games, the Ath-
leticS twice trounced the Cleveland In
dams by scores of 8 to l and to 0.
Washington held second place, q game
ahead Of the YankS, by scoring four
runs OF Ted Lyons in the third inning
DO take speedy game from the White
Sox, to 4.
Chicago Game q SizzIer.
The opening of the crucial National
League series between the Chicago Cubs
and Brooklyn Robins fulfilled all adj
vance notices in thrills. A pitching duel
between Fred Blake and Dazzy Vance,
highly productive of hits, but not of
runs, lasted IL innings before Chicago
gained a 3-to-2 victory and increased
Its lead to q full game. Two f1rSt in
ming errors by Jake Flowers gave the
Cubs two runs and forced Brooklyn into
an unsuccessful uphill battle In its eff
4OAt 10 LC6dl1l tA1C 1Cdus ~ Hdo HUI u1lbu
the eleventh that the Cubs were able
to bunch enough hits Of Vance to
score the odd run.
With New York and Cincinnati idle,
the Pittsburgh Pirates registered the
big gain in the lower part of the Ma
tional League standing and the st.
Louis Cardinals made lesser one. The
Pirates downed the Phillies in both
halves of q double-header. They had to
go IL innings TO win the first game,
8 to Z. scoring two runs In their half
of the inning on three solid hits, after
the Phillies had forged ahead, but the
second contest produced an easy 8-to-
8 victory, as Glenn Spencer allowed
Philadelphia only five hits
st. Louis although outhit, 1913, made
good use Of its blows to defeat the Bos-
ton Braves. 4 to 2. It was the fifth
straight victory for the Cards and the
fifth defeat for the Braves. Another
Boston-St. Louis clash went the other
way, as the Red Sox gained a 5-to-4
decision over the Browns on the
strength Of Bob Reeves single with
two out in the ninth.