Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-05
SAM WEST PICKED
FOR CENTER FIELD
Goslin's First Home Run OF
Season Helps Griffs Beat
Birmingham, 60.
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

- Fred Marberry, if he is
right on April IA, will as
- cend the hill for the Ma
tionalS in their opening game of
the American League campaign
even though he will not have
pitched a nine Inning term in
Spring trailing. This Manager
Walter 10 .nSon announced oet-
initely toGay.
For some time johnson had been
considering selecting Irving Hadley as
Washington's hurler in the season In
augural. Hadley has trained impress
sively, has had full route on the slab
in an exhibition engagement and Is to
go another within a week, according to
present plans. Marberry has had no
long term thus far and johnson says
he will not send the big Texan more
than six innings in any of the Spring
training games to follow. But he now
picks Marberry as the opening game
pitcher because OF Fred'S greater
experience.
1T is not because fear Hadley could
not make go of it that am planning
to use Marberry in the opening game
in Washington" says johnson. Really
I have a lot of confidence in Bump this
Spring. He has much natural pitching
ability and I believe now he has faith
in himself and will be great pitcher
But Marberry also has world OF stun,
Knows the batterS he will oppose ana
seems to me the logical choice.
eff Fred feels right on April land
I know of no reason now why he should
not feel right, he'll start against the
Red SoX. On the other end OF the
battery will be Muddy Ruel, I figure.
Muddy looks fine to me this Spring.
much better than he did last and he's
been hitting too. Yes" Johnson de-
clares, "Marberry and Ruel look the
goods to me for the first game OF the
championship season."
OutfieId Is Settled On.
johnson also revealed today that he
has definitely picked his outf1eld COM
bination for the beginning Of the cam
paign. With the signing of Goose Goslln
this week, the right and left field posi-
lions we're disposed of, for there never
has been any question as to the employ
nent of the veteran Sam Rice, in right
and the Goose, of course, Is to resume
the place in left he has occupied so
long, Whether Sam West. Red Barnes
or George Loepp would draw the center
berth though. has been uncertain.
There is no uncertainty in this mat
ter now. West again will patrol the
middle garden even though he has been
bothered with a sore arm this Spring
and still gives no indication OF becom-
ing a dangerous hitter. For a time
Barnes threatened to win berth IN the
lineup. He was being groomed to play
in left in the event Goslin did not sign
and after it became evident the Goose
was ready to join the club Barnes was
held to have a chance to take over the
centerfeld task from West. Red was
hitting well and fielding much better
than ever. Recently, though, he has
fallen off in his work both at bat and
afield and seems destined to warm the
bench once more.
given serious consideration mainly be-
cause he is a right-hand swinger and
the Nationals are top heavy with left
hand batters. Loepp is clever heloer.
He can go and get EN-. But he Is no
West in the garden. In fact, Sammy
has few equals in the majors as
flyhawk And the fleet West has a
much stronger arm than has Loepp, TOO
The soreness has gone from Sans wing
and he is f1inging freely. Loepp may
be better at bat than West, but with
so much potential hitting strength in
Rice and Goslin in fianking the cener
field, johnson deems 1t best to con-
centrate on defense in picking the player
for the middle patrol.
II OeV6lOpS, 100, LLldG GOSpP . o0dNAo Go
a National is rather uncertain. AL
though it was understood generally last
Fall when George was bought from the
Baltimore Club that the deal was an
outright purchase, 1t now is revealed that
there was a trick in the affair. While
Jim Weaver pitcher, and Stuffy Stew
art, !nfielder, were given to Baltimore
for Loepp at the time, it seems that the
outfelder is to be turned back to the
I WASHINGTON
club ponies up cash IN addition 10 the
players.
Powell May Be EARNED.
How the Washington club can afford
to let Loepp 60 now is not unoerStand-
able, but SIX outfielders are on the roster
now and one is Jake Powell, promising
recruit, but with no more experience
than that cleaned from the sandlots OF
Silver Spring, Md, and vicinity. Pow
ell very likely soon will be farmed out
and the Nationals need two outfielders
in reserve. Furthermore, they need an
extra right-hand swinger around and
Loepp will fill this bill.
Powell, who came to camp green as
grass, is improving rapidly, but naturally
he has much more to learn before he
may be regarded as of big league caliber.
He can learn more, too. playing regularly
d.
bench with the Nationals, so Loepp is
likely to stick in the big show.
Goose Goslin evidently intends to
whip himself into playing shape with
startling speed. The outf1elder, looked
to as the big punch of the Nationals,
seems to have made much headway,
too, in this matter. When his club
played the Barons here yesterday he
was the main mauler OF the pastimirg
and oIco hn1nnd onOinner tw0.WaV
killing that kept the Birmingham bunch
from the plate in the 6-to-0 game.
An even dozen hits ratified of Wash
ington bats. six at the expense of the
right-handed Bob Hasty, who pitched
for the home side the first five frames,
and as many more cleaned off Ray
Francis. who once left-handed for the
Nationals. OF this dozen hits the Goose
collected three, two for base each
and one for four bases.
This initial homer of the year for
Goslin was a sock into the right field
bleachers, a good sock in any park, and
it came in the fifth frame when there
were two on and two out. The Ma
tionals already had one run over in the
inning and as the game turned out
this run would have been enough to
win, but the Goose's wallop completely
eewed UP the affair.
After Fred Marberry had Stabbed for
FIVE innings and held the Barons to two
hits and as many walks, Irving Had
icy assumed the pitching duty for
washington. Irving got in hot water
yight off the reel, yielding a single, un-
corking a wild pitch and issuing pass
with none out. A long sacrifice hoist
then moved the runners TO third and
second bases and it looked as though
Birmingham would crash the run coll
umn when Guy Sturdy larruped a long
Nv to left. Goslin, though, made fine
running catch and followed with nifty
neg to the plate that nabbed Bancroft,
$rvinC IN 0et home from third. and