Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-06
NATIONALS SECOND
BY But HALF GAME
Hit Lightly in Taking 10,
7.3 Beatings-41st Homer
CIouted by Gehrig.
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

hurlers were fair targets for
the Yankee batterS in yesterday S
pastiming at Griffith Stadium the
Nationals today hold second place
in the American League race only
by the skin of their teeth.
Licked in both ends OF the
Saturday double header, the scores
against them being 7 to and Z
to 3 in order, Johnston's charges
had their advantage over the
third-place Mccarthy crew cut to
half a game.
With the end of the season just
% games away, that's something 10
annoy the Nationals. They have oc-
cupid the runner-up berth so long
losing it would be painful indeed. And
the Yanks are closer now than at any
other time since the Washington club
established itself in the second posi-
ton on May 81.
Never in First Game.
The Nationals never were in the
first game from the start. The Yanks
stepped out for a healthy lead before
Carl Fischer, heaving for the home side,
knew what was going on and latter
they gave Bump Hadley some rough
treatment In the meantime the LETT
handed Vernon Gomez made the best
of the local batting talent look foolish
to score a soft win.
The Yanks collected but eight hits
in the initial encounter with each OF
the Washington slabmen yielding like
amount. One of the hits, however,
was Lou Gehrig's forty-first home run
of the season, a lott over the right
field barrier made off Fischer while
Babe Ruth was resting on second base
i'll the first inning. Another was
homer driven into the sun parlor back
of left field by Sam Byrd in the eighth
after Bill Dickey had raked Hadley
for a single The YankS also got six
passes and three paved the way to runs.
But five safetieS were made of Co
fnez and the Nationals waited until
their last two batting terms for three
of them Two of those three were
of the infield variety. Despite their
few hits the Nationals had several
scoring chances for every now and
then Gomez became trif1e wild. How
ever, the home boys always found him
able to brace remarkably whenever
danger threatened.
Second Goes IN Last ROunu.
Lloyd Brown and Charley Rufing
were the chuckers at the beginning OF
the second game. Brown passed sout,
but Rufing lasted. Brown took
sound pounding right off the reel and
seemed fortunate that the Yanks got
no more than the three runs they
did at the outset. He steadied after
that to pitch a good game until the
i,otIo IN ho Mt
tionals had punished Ruff1ng in two
rounds, finally deaGlocking the game
with a two-run rally in the seventh.
That was their LIST fash however,
while Brown blew in the ninth and
Fred Marherry who was rushed to his
relief, also found the New Workers
bad medicine.
In the second game the Yankees
made 10 hits and the Nationals 7.
That was just about the difference
between the two clubs, too
The first inning was enough for the
Yanks in the first game, for in 1t they
put across three runs with pass and
two hits. The pass went to Byrd, who
scored on the first of the two hits
double slammed against the Scoreboard
by Ruth. Gehrig's homer followed and
the Yanks were we'll on the way to
victory.
Yanks Carry On.
A pass to Ruth. Gehrig's infield era
sure and Chapmans single meant an
other New York run off Fischer in the
third. The first score off Hadley was
registered in the fifth 1t came from
pass to Gehrig and singles by Chap
man and Dickey. Dickey's single that
opened the inning and Byrd's homer
coming after two were out accounted
for a brace of alien markers in the
eighth.
The Nationals on three occasions
managed to have as many as two bat
tiers on the runway at the same time
without getting anywhere. Manush be-
gan their fourth with a triple and
Cronin walked. But Harris popped out,
West let a third one go past and Bluege
forced out Cronin. With one out in the
sixth Cronin Strolled and checked in at
third when Harris doubled. West famed
this time and Bluegc lofted out.
Myer opened the eighth with a
hunted single ard Manush got hit
with a topper down the third base line.
Cronin, though, drilled into a double
p,ay and following Harris's walk West
ln2d to the shortstop.
Brown had little that fooled the New
Workers in the opening round of the
second set-to of the day and once
33aln IIcy SJdked IIl6IlSGIVSS " SOOi
lead Byrd lofted out, but Sewell
walked and Ruth singled. AS Gehrig
forced out the Babe run was carried
over by Sewell. A single by Chapman
and a stroll by Larry crowded the sacks
Lazzeri poled a one-baser to account
for two more scores.
Griffs Score at Last.
The Nationals got back one of the
runs in the fourth frame cronin
srsarkad . .s''g'e "nder Ruffing after
Manush went out and was helped
around the circuit by Vests infield re-
tirement and Blueges one-base knock
Two were out in the seventh before
the johnson band began the making
Of the tallies that lifted them to even
terms with the Mccarthy minionS.
Brown launched the scoring attack
with single and pulled up at second
when Myer clouted for a base. Rice
rified a single over the middle sack
to score Brown and put Myer at third
base.
Manush grounded to Larry and the
shortstop elected to get to second ahead
of Rice instead of making the easy
play on the batter. He reached the bag
a trif1e late, so Myer toted in the
deadlocking run.
Neither side got anywhere in the
Continued on Second Page)