Evening star., 1932-05-03
HIT FOR .287 WITH
THREE Off STRIDE
Attack Strong With Manush,
Myer, BIuege Below Par.
Gomez Is Routed.
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

ton fandom walled while
the Nationals, highly tout
ed as hitters during their training
campaign, were everything but
that in the early going of the
championship season. Washing
toms pitching was impressive
from the start; its defense was OF
high order. But there was no
sock.
For the first week the Nationals
batted at only a 200 clip, then
the punch arrived with a bang.
Now Johnson's charges are quite
likely to upset any pitcher facing
them.
After their sluggish start the Ma
tionals suddenly flashed a poWer1ul Oh
fensiye that meant .318 average Tor
the second week of the campaign. In
the third week the club average drop
ped back to .297. They seem on the
wav to a sweeter average in this fourth
week, though, for in the two tussieS
with the Yankees the johnson batters
have crashed for a mark of .339.
For their II games the Nationals
boast a batting average of .287,
healthy one, especially when three OF
their regulars have yet to swing into
true batting stride Manush, normally
$40 clouter, is batting only .22o.
Myer. a hitter Of the 800 type, is going
along at a 1858 gait. Bluege, normal
.280 sticker, shows an average Of only
1893
This washington club has lot Of
power with the trio of regulars out OF
stride. Probably some of the regulars
are hitting above their heads at pres
ent. But not so very much. Reynolds,
West and Cronin may reasonably be
expected to club at very respectable
rates. And that old-tiner Judge goes
along nicely at bat.
When Manush, Myer and Bluege get
out of their slumps the Nationals still
should be powerful in attack, though
some of those now extraordinarily
strong cool off trifie.
TOHNSON'S band has been doing its
punching at the expense of the best
the East could send against 1t in
a pitching way. The Nationals have
upset all the slab-greats and near
greats their rivals in this section have
produced.
Look this list of pitchers over: Mac
Fayden. Rucsel, Lisenbee and Weiland
Of the Red Soy; Grove, Earnshaw, Wal
berg and Mahaffey of the AS; Rufhng
ans Gomez of the Yankees A fcrmi-
cable lot, but all have been counted out
in tussling with the Washington club
Earnshaw, Walberg and MacFayden
have been trimmed twice by the parade
OF Washington Latters. Only Grove.
Earnshaw, Russell and Rufhng have
scored over the Nationals
And left-handers, who gave the Ma
tionals so much trouble last season
have not been particularly effective
against them in the current campaign
Grove Is the sole southpaw credited
with win over them. Pennock checked
them for time In New York, but they
got to him late in the fray and drove
him to cover with a game tying rally
The johnson band has been hitting
all kinds of pitching and with ven-
geance, too.
A MOTHER left-hander yesterday
IA found the Nationals too tough to
cope with. Vernon Gomez, the
Yankees pride, who had scored three
wins this season, was handed his first
beating by the johnson batters and it
took them only four innings to polish
him off,
While he was on the e>hill, Gomez was
touched for seven Safeties and three
passes and but one of the hits and one
Of the passes were wasted Cronin and
Berg did more than the others to put
the skidS under the Yank southpaw
Joe socked a homer after Myer had
singled in the first frame to give his
side good start and he doubled to
open the fourth to score later with Rey-
nolds when Berg slapped one-baser.
As it turned out, those four runs were
enough to win, but the Nationals went
on to give Gomez more punishment to
make the scores for the fourth round
total five, then they picked on the
rtght-handed Henry johnson the re-
mainder Of the way to make the final
count 10 to 8 In their favor
The Nationals had Fischer on the hill
for five innings and he was fortunate
pitcher, indeed. The Yanks slapped
weren't slapping him Carl was walking
'em. Eight nits and four passes we're
dished up by Fischer, but only in the
fifth did the Yanks dent the plate.
Then Gehrig's fifth homer of the year,
q great drive over the scoreboard back
of right center came after Farrells sim
gle and Ruth's stroll
Marberry finished against the New
Workers, holding them to one hit and
three passes. Fred had two balkS called
against him in the ninth, while pitching
to Ruth and Gehrig, SO Sewell, who
had singled, made third base, but
Gehrig rolled harmlessly to Myer to
end the batting
TRONIN had great day at bat.
~ he combed Gomez for a homer,
hit into the open stands back OF
center, and double and reached john
son for triple, while afield he accepted
nine chances, several tough ones q.
with two on and one out in the fourth,
Gomez passed Bluege to get at Berg
and Moe crossed the strategy by whack-
ing a single to check in two at the
plate Moe later got a single of
johnson to drive in run for the third
time Dickey didn't like the strike
Umpire Owens called on him in the
fifth and kicked so hard he was fired
from the game that brought Jor-
gems in to finish for the Yanks behind
the bat . Ruth went up three times
for nothing, but he collected two walks
-. the Nationals went for the sacrifice
hit stuff in a big way, putting down
four and all helped . Marberry
looked great in the relief role -. bit
wild at times but he had plenty on his
pitches after the Yank series wind
up this afternoon the Nationals viii
loaf for two days then begin their first