Evening star., 1932-07-25

Slu oCCOAAO III SAoASAA
of the West this season
and Manager Walter Johnson
plans to follow a hunch in his
pitching selection Lloyd Brown
is slated to open fire against the
Browns because the left-hander
was the sole Washington slabman
to score victory when the Ma
tionals invaded st. Louis in June.
johnson figures that Brown, who is
second in the standing Of the Capital
clubs curving corps, is just the hurler
to give the Nationals a Worth-Wnile
start on their trip
However, these well laid plans OF
Johnson's may not be carried out When
Brown tried to check Jimmy Dykes
hot smash in Saturdays game between
the Nationals and AS in Washington,
his left thumb suffered severe brllls-
ing. Today the digit still panied Lefty,
and unless there is considerable I'M
provement in it by tomorrow morning
Brown probably will have to remain out
OF action.
In that event, Manager Johnson very
likely would turn to Monte Weaver for
hill work. Weaver took terrific beat
ing in Sportsmans Park in June, but
he was in something of slump then.
The past few weeks he has gone along
at a great rate until now he leads the
Washington staff and stands among
the high rankers of the American
League.
CIXTEEN games are to be played dur
- ing this invasion Of the West, and
L. {o fIa TnhpCny1 hand
do better than it did when out this way
last month if it would return home in
the first division of the league.
During the June tour of this sector
the Nationals got only an even break in
the 16 tits they went through. They
took the White Sox and Tribe series,
three games to one. but were licked
three times in four starts ganst In theie tae
battling with the Browns.
Johnsons charges are in fourth place
as they begin their Western thrust, but
with no great gap between them and
the second division. The Indians Just
ahead of them and the Tigers right at
their heels are going along at fast
clip. They'll take lot OF beating. but
It seems the Nationals must trim them
this time or fall far back.
On this trip, the Nationals run into
the supposedly weaker clubs OF the
Western sector right off the reel. How
ever, the Browns to be encountered In
the first four games never can be
reckcned weak so far as the Washing
ton club is concerned. Following the
st. Louis set the Nationals will go to
Chicago for four tussles with the White
SoX then will come the big sets with
the Tigers and the Indians.
Bowling over the Westerners Is some
thing to do these days but it must be
done by the Nationals If they would
keep their heads up.
In their long home stand that ended
yesterday the Nationals played .625
base bali but gained no ground in the
championship race. They were fourth
as they began the string Of "a tussles
in Grifith Stadium and were no better
off after winning IS and losing 9.
There was hitting enough to satisfy
all of the 5000 in the stands as Ma
tionals and Red Sox put on the Sunday
battle that concluded the Washington
stand. The home side made 18 safeties
and the visitors l3. And the Nationals
copped IL to 6.
Tommy Thomas went the route for
the johnson band and kept the Red
Sox we'll in check until the eighth when
Llpy SJdSSu lOuI y uIl Id4ly VI HllASAi
the feature was homer driven into
the open stand back of left-center By
big Dale Alexander when two of his
teammates were rooSting on the run
way.
There were no homers by Nationals,
but they went in for distance hitting
nevertheless Among their clouts were
three triples and a twc-bagger. The
Red Sox kicked in with four errors and
all figured in the Washington scoring.
With eight hits backed by brace of
Boston misplays, the Nationals got five
runs in the first three rounds. They
picked up tally in the fifth, then put
on batting splurge in the seventh to
turn in five mcre markers. Five hits.
a pass and two Red Sox errors were
tossed into that wild inning. And an
other run for good measure was reg
istered in the eighth.
Manager McManus threw almost all
his pitching staff into the fray. Larry
Boerner the Washington bly,. started
and went into the third inning to take
the licking But the left-handers, Bob
Weiland and Johnny Michaels, also took
a deal Of punishment Ed Gallagher
another southpaw, got in to pitch to
one batter to end the seventhinning
rough-house, then Paul Andrews came
MANUSH was stopped cold by that
4'1 wild and woody Boston pitching
Il. while all the other Nationals
excepting Thomas walloped frequently,
Heinie went without hit after batting
safely in % consecutive games he
flied out twice, grounded to the infield
once, walked once and famed once
and he was the only batter Gallagher
pitched to in the seventh then
Heinie lofted an easy one to johnson in
right Cronin had perfect day at
bat with two triples, double, single
and stroll Myer got three hits and
among them was his fifteenth triple Of
the season {. he's way ahead in that
line OF clcutlng . McManuS shot
Stumpf and Watwood into the game as
pinch-batters and both responded
nobly by cracking singles AleXan-
der, for some time in a savage hitting
mood, got a homer and triple In four
times at bat. the triple was great
drive TO the angle back Of right-center,
a favorite parking place for homers by
batters more feet afoot than big Dale
the Nationals stopped over here
today for an exhibition with the Reds
Bob Burke was to do the f1inglng
for the johnson band, but Edelin,, who
has done nothing more than pitch IN
batting practice since joining the club,
may also get brief term on the hill
diminutive Jimmy Maloney, mas
cot and bat boy, Is making the West
ern trip through contributions from the
entire squad of Nationals He Is be-
ing chaperoned by Trainer Mike Martin
and Tne Crrnin