Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-08

M TENDER 8.-Off for their
" v final fling at the West,
the Nationals have moth
ing more than an outside chance
for the pennant. Indeed, theirs
is a forlorn hope, it seems. With
but 18 more games to play and
61s games back of the league
leading Athletics, it looks as
though only a complete collapse
of the Mackian horde could open
the way to championship for
the Johnson band. And even
then. it would have to play great
base ball to cop. The AS have
been as slow breaking as the heat
wave. and there's no good reason
to believe they will crack during
the last three weeks of the cam
paign. But the Griffs have not
given up. This string Will be
played out.
Before returning to their home lot to
wind up the season in clash with the
Athletics on the last Sunday OF TINS
month the Nationals will invade nve
cities for II games. Three games are
to be played in ST. Louis, as many IN
Cleveland and the same number in De-
troit. In Chicago the Johnson band
will play four games and they will play
four in Boston Only one flrst-divlsion
club to be met during the tour. Yet
three of the four second-division outfits
to be encountered have given the Ma
tionals trouble aplenty thus far.
The troublesome trio includes the rep
resentatives of st. Louis, Chicago and
Detroit. On the fields of these clubs
this season the Nationals have scored
only 9 wins in % starts. Nor is the
Washington record for play in Cleve-
land particularly impressive. There
eight games staged. Twelve wins and 10
defeats in the West this season show
clearly why the Nationals aren't better
on in the flag chase.
The Nationals may be expected to do
better in the West this trip, however.
They move on the sector with all play
ers, excepting Sam West, middle fielder,
and Roy Spencer, catcher, in good trim.
This time they'll have in their lineup
Henie Manush, who was kept out of
action during the July invasion by an
ailing leg. Manushs punch was sorely
missed in that second Western swing.
And before long West and Spencer
should be back in the game regularly.
far sector of the league this time they'll
have no alibi.
nURING their last big stand in the
- East the Nationals played well
against their Eastern rivals and
the Western clubs. They took rs of the
80 games in the lots along the seaboard.
That was moving at a .645 clip-pretty
good for most clubs. Yet the AS have
winning percentage up in the .670s,
and for the season, too. What can be
done with club like that?
The Yanks we're well licked in the
last Eastern stand. They were trimmed
8 times in IL meetings. The Red Sox
and the Athletics four times in eight |
engagements.
The Indians dropped three Of five
games In Washington, the three-gane
set with the White Sox was swept by
the Nationals, while they broke even
with the Tigers in four games and took
three of four games played with the
Browns. In the East the Western clubs
were not so good against the johnson
band.
THIS final Western invasion will get
i under way tomorrow afternoon in
st. Louis, the ink town for the
Nationals the last two trips. Man
ager johnson already has picked Irving
Hadley to open fire against the Browns.
This gives Bump a fine chance for
sweet revenge The last time they were
In Washington the Browns turned on
him after he had held them to two
hits for eight innings, shelled him for
three runs and tie in the ninth. thsn
beat him in the tenth inning.
lowing Immediately in Chicago may see
Hadley's only starts In the West. He
hasn't been particularly good in the
far sector this season, especially In
Cleveland and Detroit. Manager john
son has intimated he may employ Had
ley only in relief roles against the In
dians and the Tigers.
TTHERELL be no licking Of the Ma
J. tionals by the Athletics in their an
nual series. anyway. Fighting
gamely after the contest yesterday
seemingly was lost to them, the Ma
scored 7-to-6 triumph over the league
leaders in Griffith Stadium, to put
themselves one up on the AS for the
year with one game to go.
Sam Jones tried to battle the AS, but
was bumped from the hill in the second
inning, when the champs collected five
runs. They got another of Fred Mar
berry in the third then stopped for
the big fellow pitched a whale of a
game thereafter. But two hits we're
made of him in seven and onethird
rounds, both in the third round.
The Nationals pegged away until
finally they cleaned five tallies of the
1eft-handed George Walberg in six in
nings then George Earnshaw, right
handler, tried to stop shem. He did
until the ninth.
TOING into that round with the
VI count to against them, the
Nationals quickly put themselves
back in the running. Bluege beat out
q bunt as a starter and checked in at
third when Ruel, with the hit-and-run
on, singled TO left. right through the
ground Boley had left uncovered. West
was sent in to run for Ruel and Shires
picked up Marberry's bat. Earnshaw
was so IMPOSED that he passed Shires.
never getting the ball near the plate.
Hayes best was hoist to Simmons
In not such deep center, but deep
enough to get Bluege over with the
tying tally and sending West to the
far corner. TIL Rice, who had failed
to connect safeiy the four times he had