Evening star., 1932-05-26
QUIETLY CONFIDENT
Of SUCCESS IN SET
Griffs Feel Able to Cope With
New York's Batting and
Slab Strength.
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

BY JOHN b. KELLER.
W Y1TH their batters blazing
\n/ away at a terrific rate
Y Y and equipped with a
seven star slab staff
breezing along merrily, the league
leading Yankees have high hope
OF widening the gap between
themselves and the second-place
Nationals in the big series Of
four games that was to get under
way in Griffith Stadium this aft
ernoon.
The Washington ball lot has
been no pleasant place for the
Yanks this season, though, and
the Johnson band is quietly con-
fident it will make plenty trou-
BILE for the mighty macers and
moundsmen of the Clan Nc
Carthy during this string Of
set-tos.
The Nationals this year have respect
ed the New York hill corps less than
any other of the Yanks' rivals, having
overcome 1t five times In nine efforts.
And on their own lot the washington
pitchers have taken much Of the punch
out of the Yanxee attack. True, john
sons batters and pitchers have been
below par recently. but perhaps relief
" CT dQVS
bring improvement all along the line.
At any rate, those three successive
beatings they took from the Yankees
in New York last week didn't discourage
the Nationals at all. They still have
faith in their ability to cope with the
best they may run up against-and
these Yankees right now are nothing
less than the best opposition any club
could encounter.
THIS washington club ", will ts,a run Into Into
should McCarthy's seven-star stah
maintain its marvellous pace. The
Yanks have In Gomez, Pennock, Pip
gras Ruflng, Allen, Andrews and john
son the finest lot of mound talent In the
American League, II not In the majors.
Yet thus far only four New York
starters have gone q full route against
the Nationals in the nine games be-
tween the clubs. Ruff1ng was the first
to do so and he took beating here.
Then last week Gomez. Pennock and
Allen did so in succession in New York,
each scoring victory.
Gomez the ace of the Yankee corps,
has reeled off seven wins this early in
the campaign and has been licked only
once, but that licking was given him by
Johnson's charges. In that losing game
the left-hander was chased In the
fourth inning after yielding seven runs.
Pennock has been blasted from the
slab twice by Washington. In one game
Rufnng was unable to finish what he
started against the Nationals and Pip
gras suffered q similar fate In his lone
starting effort against the Washington
Club.
The best Of Yankee pitching against
the Nationals has been done by Johnny
Allen, big rookie right-hander. Reliev-
ing Pennock in a game here last month,
Allen pitched five and two-thirds in
nings without being nicked for hit or
a run and last Saturday in New York
he gave up only five safeties when he
hurled a nine-mning shutout.
Johnny is the great surprise Of the
astounding New York pitching staff.
MCCARTHY seems to have a staff
lNx Of strikeout pitchers. Those 13
strikeouts registered by Gomez
when he turned back the AS two days
aga season record for game and
feat that raised Gomez's strikeout total
for the campaign to So. making him the
league leader-just topped fine per-
for1nances by other Yankee hurlers.
Rufing this year has had game
with dozen strikeoutS and 50 has
Pipgras. In his first full game this
season, johnson struck out IL when
facing the Indians.
Outside OF the Yankee hill stars,
Earnshaw Ct the Athletics Is the only
pitcher to have a 12-strikeout game
this season. He did that at the expense
OF the Nationals here on April IT.
And that was the last win for the
Mack minions over Johnson's charges.