Evening star., 1931-06-26
QUICK COMEBACK
HELD IMPROBABLE
Champs Drop Five of Last
Six Games-Spencer'S Hits
Win for GriffS.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

game and a lew percentage
~ points back of the first
rlAce Athletics, the Ma
tionals now hear louder than ever
the buzzing of the pennant bee
and are hopeful of getting to the
top Of the American League before
returning to their own lot early
next month.
We've picked up four games on
the AS in little more than three
weeks. Looks as though we ought
to pick up another game in the
more than a week we have left to
play on the road" Is the way
Johnson's charges figure the
chase.
johnson is quite confident his club
will forge to the front quickly. He
sees the Athletics cracking under the
strain Of setting the pace for the cir
cult so long and expects them to md
the remainder OF their path through
the West pretty rough. They've been
beaten in five OF their last six games,
and q club that takes 1t like that usual
ly doesn't come back in a hurry" john
son contends THE AS have been due
to slump for a week or two and they
are not the kind to shake of q slump
easily"
The pilot is not looking for his club
70 get ahead solely because the AS
may falter, however. 1T is up to us to
make headway and not wait for Connie
Mack's club to do more slipping" de-
clareS the Nationals leader. "The
nm
and hustle all the while. We have not
been as good as we should have been
on this trip. Two of the three games
we lost should never have been lost.
But that's neither here nor there now.
Il look for my club to play pennant-
winning ball. know it is capable of
doing so and before long we should be
out there showing the way to the
others. Wouldn't be surprised If we
should be in the lead when we start
that series with the AS in Washington
on July s."
DOY SPENCER clubbed the Nationals
N to their 4-to-3 victory over the
Tigers yesterday, driving over all
their runs. The johnson band got to
Victor Sorren for just four safeties and
Roy made three. The other was f1uky
hit by Ossie Bluege. a pop that Marty
McManuS, Tiger Second-sacker. lost in
the sun and let fall back of him for a
single. It helped in the run-making.
Sorrells wildnesS was of great aid to
the Washington forces. He issued seven
passes and three were converted into
tallies.
Carl Fischer and Bob Burke did the
flinging for the Nationals, with Fischer
giving up six hits, two walks and all
the Tiger markers. The heat finally
got Carl and after walking a batter
with two out in the sixth he turned the
task over to Bob. on Burke the Harris
horde got just one bingle and one walk.
DOTH sides counted in the second
- session. Vests walk. Bluege's lucky
hit and q pass to Kuhel crowded the
sacks with one out. Spencer singled
to get Sam and Ossie home. One was
out in the Tiger half when the home
side leaped upon Fischer for four sue
cessive safetieS and deadlocked the
game. Stone lined a single over
Cronin's head and checked in at sec
ond when McManus Smote for base.
Brewer lashed q single to right to tally
Stone and move McManuS to third.
Then Hayworth topped a ball down the
third-base line and beat Bluege'S heave
to FIRST while McManus raced to the
plate.
1t was a "boner" by McManuS that
paved the way to the Nationals winning
rally in the sixth. Cronin, first up,
walked, but West grounded to McManus
and a double-play looked certain. Nc
ManuS. however, instead of chucking
the ball to Brewer. covering the mid
die sack, immediately attempted to run
down Cronin. Joe ducked. then Marty
threw to first, retiring West. The Tiger
infleld closed in on Cronin, but as Alex
ander tossed to second the runner
turned and regained first base that had
been left open when West was retired.
The Tigers yelped claiming Cronin
had been retired by the throw to second
and 1t took the umpires some time to
convince them that the out had been
made at first and double play could
have been completed only by tagging
Cronin..
Bluege strolled, and after Kuhel be-
came an out that would have ended
the inning had not McManuS gone
gathering, Spencer cracked
double to the 1eft-field corner. That
showed Cronin and Bluege over the
counting block.
only two of the Tigers reached first
base after their tying inning until the
sixth. Brewer walking in the fourth
and Walker beating out bunt in the
fifth, and each time two were out.
Fischer plainly revealed at the begin
ming of the sixth, though. that he was
weakening, ana aIUeT AleHdIlQeE WIS
retired Stone lofted the ball into the
bleachers for homer. Although Nc
ManuS famed he helped to tire Carl
bv fouling off a number of pitches
then Brewer walked on four pitches.
Here Burke stepped in to stop every
thing.
GAM RICE went back to rightfield in
- the final of the Detroit series, but
Manager johnson says Harris will
return to the game when the opposition
starts a Southpaw slabman-Sorrell
went to a three-and-two count with
six of the first seven batters facing
him-only Bluege got his hit quickly
Manush fouled off dozen pitches be-
fore drilling into a double-play in the
first frame-WeSt put stop to, the
Tigers second-round rally with q fne
running catch of Sorrell's looper-Mc-
Manus made flashy pickup to get
Manush when the latter dragged a
bunt by the pitcher in the third-Old
Man Rice sprinted across the right
field turf in the third for a diving
grab of Walkers liner-Walker was
ready for q bit of black-face comedy
after stealing third base in the nth,
having buried his visage in the dust
stones homer, driven into the bleach
ers back of center in the sixth, was his
seventh of the ampaign-McManu
leaped to spear with one hand Vests
hot liner in the eighth-Doljack was
the only pinch batter sent into the fray
he grabbed Sorrells bat in the ninth