Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-06-15
SIX GAMES SHORT
OF PACE IN 1881
Brown to Open Against IT.
gers After 17-3 DebacIe in
St. Louis Yesterday.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

BY JOHN B. KELLER.
~ ETROIT, June 15.-In this
/ series of four games with
- the Tigers that was to get
under way here this after
noon the Nationals find them
selves struggling to hold their grip
on second place.
In the runner-up position, dead
locked with the Athletics, and
with the Tigers and Indians
right at their heels, Manager
Walter JohnSon'S charges must be
up and at 'em the remainder of
the week if they would keep their
heads high.
The Browns are coming along, too,
and threaten to make plenty of trou-
BILE for the five clubs above them in the
standing. With five of their rivals in
such fine stride, the Nationals cannot
afford to continue slipping. Should
they do SO, they'll find themselves out
of the pennant chase in jiffy.
Competition is so keen in the Amer
lean League this year that a club well
up in the running doesn't have to take
many beatings before passing out of the
picture.
A COMPARISON of today's stand
"A ings with those of June Is of last
year quickly reveals how much
keener is the battling in the current
campaign.
In the middle of June last year four
clubs-the Red SoX, White Sox, Browns
and Tigers-were all but hopelessly out
of the flag race The White Sox, sixth
at the time, were 10 games behind the
league-leading Athletics. Today, the
Browns in sixth place are just eight
and one-half games back Of the New
York pacemakers.
This year the Tigers and the Browns
have bolstered to make the race tight
er. the Detroit Club more SO than the
st. Louis outfit.
Last on June Is last year, the Tigers
now are fourth and 10 games better of
than they were at similar stage of
the 1881 season. The Browns are one
place and six games better off than they
were the middle of last June.
The White SoX are running just
trifle back of their 1881 speed, but the
Red SoX are far back of theirs A bad
last now where they were fifth year
ago, the dismal Red Sox are IL games
short Of their record of mid-June in 81.
OF the first division clubs of mid
~ June last year, only the Yankees
show a decided improvement.
setting dizzy pace for the remainder
of the league and are about seven
games better off than in 1881.
Cleveland has improved over its 1881
standing notwithstanding like three
gsmes-but it was fourth year ago.
It's almost that today. Although stand
ing fifth. the Indians are but a few
points below the Tigers.
The Athletics and the Nationals are
not doing so we'll as they did in 1881.
First last year, the AS now are tied
with Johnson's charges in second place
and nearly 10 games worse of than last
mid-June.
The Nationals, no worse of in stand
Ing than they were year ago, never
thelesS are about six games short of
their record last mid-June. And they
are getting no better fast.
4 LMOST at the last minute Manager
"A Johnson changed his pitching
plans for the four-game series
here. Instead Of saving Monte Weaver
for the opener of the set with the Tigers
as originally planned johnson shot the
professor at the Browns in St. Louis
yesterday, and was to send against
Bucky Harris henchmen today Al
Crowder, at first picked to end the ST.
Louis fitting.
Tomorrow Johnson will order to the
firing line his first-string left-hander,
his mind suddenly. And 1t looks as
though Weaver may not get crack at
the Tigers. After the Friday lay-off,
the Nationals pilot may shift to his
new talent for the remaining games
Of the set. Walter has an idea AL
Thomas, who Joined the club yester-
day, and Dick Coffman can upset the
Tigers.
Odd that Crowder wasn't used against
the Browns in st. Louis. He was par
ticularly effective against them last
year. beating them in Griffith Stadium
and in SportmanS Park. But the Cen
eral has yet to pitch ball against the
Browns this season.
THEIR worst beating of the year
L came the Nationals way yesterday
as they wound up the series in St
Louis, in which they wen but one of
four games, and that 17-to-3 defeat
handed out by the Browns was COM
paratively the most severe defeat given
club in the American League this
year. True, the Yankees scored 20 runs
in beating the Athletics not SO long ago,
but the AS showed plenty of fight and
scored 10 runs. The Nationals yeSter-
day were all but helpless, though.
There was not spark of fire in them.
Away well, Johnson's charges got to
George Blaeholder for two hits, one a
homer driven into the pavilion back of
right-center by Sam West, and two
runs. After that the Nationals in eight
innings got but five safeties and two
passes off Blaeholder, one of the passes
backed by two of the hits being good
for a tally in the seventh.
Before then the Browns had tucked
away the ball game. Monte Weaver,
starter for the Johnson band, wild
pitched a run over in the first frame
and blew sky high in the third. A
homer by Schultz and two singles, all
hits coming in succession, sent Weaver to
the showers and before Fred Marberry
could check the onslaught, the Browns
had scored four times. They drove
Marberry to cover in the fourth and
before the inning ended hoped on
Frank Ragland to total three markers
for the round. And in the seventh and
eighth innings they battered Ragland
for 10 hits and nine runs.
All told, the st. Louis bunch collected
"a hits off the poorest pitching put
forth by the Nationals this season. In
two of their batting turns, the Browns
batted around and then some. Their
hitting was good for 81 bases. The
Nationals outfielders became dizzy