Evening star., 1932-04-27

more will tackle the club that is
the greatest flop of this young
base ball seaSon-the Athletics.
That's a break in the schedule
for the Washington outfit, Man
ager Walter Johnson figures
"Well be getting at those AS
while they're down." says he
'And the more we lick 'em now
the easier they should be to lick
later on" Maybe so. The AS at
present appear ready to be licked
by anybody.
After a brave start in the campaign
the club almost unanimously picked to
win pennant for the fourth successive
time and thereby set a record, has all
but fallen to pieces. And now the base
ball sharps are wondering why. In the
first two games with the Nationals the
Athletics were their old selves. They
had panic-creating punch and supe-
rior pitching. They won three of their
first four games. Then the Nationals
turned on them, and since the AS have
dropped six OF seven games.
THERE are rumors here that the AS
l. are scrapping among themselves.
It's said internal pickering fol-
lowed the game here last Saturday, in
which the AS slammed out a five-run
lead for George Walberg in the first
inning, only to take a 16-to-5 beating
from the Yankees.
Johnson knows nothing of this, of
course. Walter attributes the decline
of the AS to their infield troubles, the
sluggishness of al Simmons at bat and
George Earnshaw's failure to get away
well on the slab.
advanced for the Athletics slump.
Whatever is causing it, however. the
AS appear ripe for picking, and John
son is more than pleased that his club
is to get at them in three games at this
tins.
JOHNSON. like many others, expects
the Yankees to be the big trouble
makers in the American League this
year. Not because they beat his Ma
tionals, 6 to 5, yesterday in the first
meeting of the season between the
clubs, but because cf-their powerful
offensive. Stopping the Yankees at
any time will take about everything any
club has" is the way Walter sizes up
this formidable New York outfit.
Some are contending that the
Yankees will not have the pitching to
keep them up throughout the race
Well, Mccarthy right now has pretty
good looking lot in Gomez, Pennock,
Pipgres, Rufang, Rhodes and Andrews, -
the Washington field general points
out.
But there should be many games in
which the Yankees will not need par
ticularly good pitching to win. They'll
simply overpower the other club. be-
lieve we'll give them a good fight but
] am afraid most of the other clubs in
the league will be unable to do so.
If Mccarthy had one more expert
enced pitcher of class there would be
no race and it would be just too bad"
THOSE pitcher-pounding Yankees
i had a narrow squeak of it yester-
day, though After piling up a
healthy lead at AL CrowderS expense,
they found Washington pitching lit
tie to their fancy, and had their score
matched by the Johnson crew. Then
they broke through to victory mainly
with teasing slow roller from Gehrig S
bat in the eighth inning.
Crowder felt the lash of the New
York attack after the Nationals had
gained slim lead of the left-handed
Pepnocks pitching In the second ses-
sion, the Yanks hoped on the General
for five hits, among them Dickey's
homer driven into the bleachers back
of right center, and four runs resulted
The Nationals kept pecking away at
Pennock, though, until in the eighth
they got two runs to deadlock the game
and bring Rufflng to his relief. Rag
land and Burke had checked the Yanks
after Crowder was chased, but Mar
berry took it on the chin in the eighth
Rufing held the Nationals at bay in
the ninth to get credit for the home
success.
1t was a pass to Larry that opened
the way to the games decisive tally
Ruth followed it with his second hit
of the game, a single that sent Larry
to third. Then Gehrig topped the ball
sending it to Marberry'S left. Fred went
after it with a fair chance of cutting
down Larry at the plate, but just as hi
reached for the ball it took an ode
hop away from him and though Myel
managed to throw out Gehrig, the
marker was registered.
THERE was no terrific display of hit.
l. ting by the Yanks They collected
Just 10 safeties, six off Crowder
one off Ragland. one of Burke and two
of Marberry. But they also get eight
passes and three of those passes werr
converted into tallies.
1t was pass to Pennock, notorious.
ly poor hitter. that paved the way Il
Crowder's downfall in the second in
ming. The YankS had two runs il
with one out when Herb stepped II
Ha ,1aN1 rol % .r-stt l. ~,
third run of the inning when, follow
ing Byrd's double, Larry lofted to Reyn
olds for the second out of the round
Ruth then hit a fourth run over.
Had Crowder been more careful II
pitching to the weak batting Pennocl
the Yanks probably would have beer
limited to two tallies for the inning.
THE Nationals got all their sever
l. safeties off Pennock. with Cronir
and Reynolds sharing four. Jo
nicked the left-hander for a triple
single and two walks for perfect day
while Carl doubled and singled in hi
first two times at bat.
This Reynolds is in a hitting mood
With those two blows yesterday he raj
his record to eight safeties in II con
secutive batting turns.
Like the Yanks, the Nationals go
runs from their passes. Five walk
came their way and two Of the walker
scored.
KNOCKED of by the YankS, the Ma
n tionals dropped to third place IL
the race, with their conqueror
moving up to second.
Gehrig is having his troubles afiel'
while nursing a sore ankle, but tn
- a. d., zkz
his first three visits to the plate.
Somebody told Crowder that Crosetti
the Yanks' dashing infield rookie
couldn't hit low pitch. AL sent on
sround Franks knees in the second in
ning and 1t was srnacked to center 70