Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-03

M had Joe Engle, its lone
scout, casting about des-
perately for a hard hit
ter swining from the right side, 1t
already had one within its ranks,
it turns out. Joe Cronin is the
boy. The husky young shortstop.
who batted for only mark OF
1872 last year, is walloping all
kinds of pitching this year and
today has a Swatting average Of
1854 for this young 1880 campaign.
With four healthy hits in five
times at bat yesterday. while the
Nationals were lambaSting the
Browns, 10 to 5, Joe boosted his
rating just So points. II Engel can
dig up a right-hander hitting
harder than Cronin is at present,
he should be crowned king OF all
scouts.
Cronins hitting is all the more re-
nnarkable in that his II safeties nave
been good for So bases an average OF
more than two bases per safety. Among
the hits have been three homers, two
triples and six doubles. This hitting
was done in nine games, too, for in flve
the Nationals have played he failed 10
connect.
How valuable Cronins hitting has
been to the club is revealed in the Scor-
ing he has done and the number OF runs
he has driven across the plate. Joe mas
denied the counting block IA times ana
been credited with showing 10 runs over:
AS he has made three home runs, 1t VIII
be seen that the young fellow mas Deen
responsible for Is tallies registered by
teammates. Joe's good man to have
around the ball club. :,
60 Ct a q
as at bat. He has gobbled chances all
over the shortfield in great style. He
made one error yesterday, but took flne
care of eight other chances that came
his way and came through with two par
ticularly good plays. His pivot In the
side-retiring double play that Joe Judge
started with a spectacular grab of Lu
Blues hot grounder in the eighth was
brilliant bit of work. 1t was in the
ninth, though, that the Nationals short
stop was at his best. Then he Scurrled
back on the grass to get Schulte's slz-
zling drive and though off balance FOL
lowed with remarkable throw to Judge
to nail his man.
1T was a super-play, but then Cronin
Is pulling super-plays these days.
A MOTHER Joe shared batting honors
"A with Joe Cronin in the opener
of the series with the Browns.
Joe Judge picked up four hits in five
times at bat and made them in success
sion. Not until his last turn at the plate
did he fail to drive the ball to safety.
One of the hits was two-bagger and
one a nifty bunt toward third that was
put down SO well Blackie ORourke made
no effort to throw after retrieving the
ball. Judge, by the way, after poor
start at bat has boosted his average to
very respectable 800.
GAM JONES, the somber squire of
~ Woodsfield, making his second start
of the season, was somewhat more i'm
pressive than in his first He was nickeo
for only seven safeties, spread over three
innings, and two passes. Sam had two
poor rounds. Although the Browns got
but one run off him in the first with
Blues triple and Kress' single, between
which two outs were sandwiched, every
time they met the ball in the round
they slammed it savagely. Only fine
support saved Sam from deal Of pun
ishment at the outset of the fray.
He faltered again in the fourth when
the Browns reached him for four hits
and as many runs. Only two OF the
runs were earned, though, and as the
Nationals were well ahead at the time 1t
die not matter much. Thereafter, all
the Browns got were Melillo's single with
two down in the sixth, a pass to NC
Nicely with one out in the seventh and
another pass to O'Rourke at the start
of the eighth.
Just a breeze for Sam after the fourth.
GAM GRAY, veteran. and Herman
- Holshouser and Fred Stieley, re-
cruits. tried to stop the Nationals,
but were found for II safeties
and a brace of passes. Gray got a
great FASTING in the first session, al
though he was not driven out until
the third. That first inning was weird.
West began it with single, but Rice
and Goslin popped out. Myer, though,
drew a walk, then came successive
singles of the bats of Cronin, Judge
and Bluege.
That attack was good for three runs
and two more crossed when the Browns
infield became dizzy. Three successive
foozIes of grounders by Melillo, O'Rourke
and Blue made Manager Bill Killefer's
inner defense look like poor sandlot
aggregation.
Doubles by Goslin and Cronin. Judges
hunted single and Bluege's sacrifice were
good for two tallies in the second and
with two out and one on in the third
Gray hit Goslin and was hit by Myer.
This blow. the last at Gray's expense,
showed over a marker. Before Hols-
houser could end the rally Cronin's
triple and Judges double accounted for
two more markers.
Stieley pitched two innings against
the Nationals and in his last, the
eighth round, Myers one-baser, Cronin's
two-bagger and Bluege's base rap net
ted two tallies.
old Sam Rice now has hit safely
~ in Is consecutive games. He had
to wait until the fifth inning yes
terday to get his daily wallop. 1t was
a good one. for Sam smote the ball
sharply to right.
A SHOWER stopped the game as the
"A Nationals were about to start their
sixth batting turn. but play was
suspended only minutes. No damage
done.
EARLY SCORING PAYS
ST. LOUIS ABB R. H. Po. A. z.
SS S[ !s;n 1, s6:::::s ! ! ! 3 i
H U