Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-23

Wv YHEN the Nationals were IN
A/ training in the South
Wv this year many base ball
Sharps - all unbiased -
looked them over carefully, then
went their ways saying Manager
Walter JohnSon'S ball club had no
more chance to make any head
way in the American League race
than a fish had to do a toe dance.
They pointed out that the Ma
tionalS would be unable to develop
a punch and that team without
a punch in these days of slam
bang base ball was a loser before
1t started.
Most of them went on to declare the
Washington club was apt to finish no
better than seventh in the race, and
some begrudged it position that high.
Now these same base ball sharps are
searching for alibis to show how good
were their forecasts despite the early
season uprising of the Nationals. And
the only one they have advanced to date
is that the Nationals pitchers are more
advanced than those of the rival clubs
in the circuit.
They may have hit the nail on the
head, but in so doing they insinuate
that the Washington mound corps while
kOlIk kIGdJ kuIlO dL plCSCllb, DIODdOly
Is at too fine an edge to last. These
SharpS are looking for the bottom to
drop out of the Washington pitching
suddenly, but they are apt to be badly
fooled.
True, the Nationals have developed
little punch to date. In fact, but two
of the eight batters who daily are hit
ting ahead Of the pitcher in the lineup
are whacking the ball at better than
300 rate. They are Sam Rice and Buddy
Myer. The club, though, seems to have
the happy knack of punching effectively
the few hits it gets to the CONSERVATION
of its critics and foes. This is one fine
way Of getting ahead, even If a club
does hit lightly
Playing Spirited Game.
That the Nationals have won five of
their first seven engagements, however,
with such meager hitting Is conclusive
proof that not only are their pitchers in
splendid condition, but that the team is
hitting on all eight defensively and
playing with much more determined
spirit than it did at any time last year
except In the last month of the cam
paign.
JohnSon'S beavers are stepping along
in sparkling manner and they are get
ting remarkable support Every player
back Of the moundsnen seems to be
outdoing himself In his fielding. Block
ing Of hard drives, spectacular catches
of hoistS have been frequent. With
johnson in the drivers seat, the team
has been hustling from the opening
pitch of the season.
Perhaps the Washington club is not a
great club. At least no one connected
with 1t is ready to declare 1t such. But
1t Is lighting club, one that will give
battle every minute Of game, and it is
equipped well enough mechanically to
make the scoring of runs difficult for a
rival.
There is no reason to believe there
will be any breakdown afield. The pitch
erS instead of going into the season
finely drawn started their work merely
in the condition a well-trained mound
corps should start. The hitting is like
ly to come soon. When 1t does, the
washington team will be much more of
q factor in the race than many of those
who watched it down South predicted.
president CLARK GRIFFITH is
casting about for a minor league
berth for Don Savidge, pitcher. Al
though Savidge never has been used
to any extent by the Nationals, he
Is believed to have much mound worth.
would help develop this worth.
Don, who comes of base ball family
his father was once a pitcher with the
Cincinnati RedS-has shown much on
the ball In his little work with the club
but has been somewhat too deliberate
In his pitching. His action has been
such that the batter could tell what
kind Of q ball was to be pitched. A
Blabman of that type cannot expect to
get far In major league base ball where
the batters are exceptionally smart. Nor
can he expect to do much in the minors
at the start, but the heavy toll Savidge
probably would get ought to correct this
fault in him.
TETTING Sunday base ball in Phila
" delphia is task the entire Ameri-
can League soon will assume. Now that
Boston is in line with the Sunday pas
timing, the City of Brotherly Love is
in a class by itself in the Barnard cir
cult, but club executives believe there
will be games in Shibe Park on Sundays
by next season. Much pressure is be-
ing brought to bear on influential Penn
sylvanians, for getting Sunday base ball
In Philadelphia Is State instead OF
q city affair, and as 1t seems the ma
jority of the people of the State favor
the move bill legalizing Sunday base
ball may soon be put through the Leg
islature at Harrisburg.
FIGHTING to the finish yesterday in
4 the opener of the Red Sox series,
the Nationals bagged their first extra
aiming game of the year, 4 to 3. 1t was
an uphill battle for the johnson band,
this, that went into the twelfth round
for decision. The Red SoX staked
themselves to a three-run lead before
the affair was three innings old by
banging Bob Burke for five safeties, and
with Charley Rufflng pitching in great
style for the visitors this advantage
made the Nationals prospect Of victory
anything but bright.
The Washington crowd kept plugging
away, though, and in the fourth frame
got two runs with Vests triple, Rice'S
single and Myers double. In the eighth
O double by GoSlin, single by Myer
and a sacrifice fly by Cronin deadlocked
the game.
TN the meanwhile Ad Liska, who had
i assumed the Washington pitching
burden after the third inning, moved
down the Red Sox steadily, yielding
but two safeties and one of them a
hunted single, in seven rounds. When
the Nationals had runners on first and
third bases with only one out in the
eleventh Liska was lifted and BarneE
sent in to bat. Red could not help so
with another inning coming up Fred
Marberry went to the hill.
The first of the Red Sox to face
Marberry was Oliver and he cracked
q double. He was caught at third,
however, when Scarritt attempted to
sacrifice and the danger of Boston
tally was gone.
T7HEN the Nationals put over the big
i run, helped by a wild throw by