Evening star., 1933-06-14
SLUMP Of PIRATES
IS TIGHTENING RACE.
BUGS Suffer Most From In.
ability to Beat Cards.
Giants in Saddle.
BY GEORGE CHADWICK.

n JEW YORK, June 14.-Com-
M petition is ertainly the
/ Y life of gate receipts in the
National League again this
year, as it has been for several
seasons. For a time it looked as
though the Pittsburgh Pirates
were going to spread-eagle the
field and get away to a handsome
lead early in the season, but the
first half Of June has changed
the picture considerably.
The Pirates are backsliding this year
much earlier than they slumped last
season, when for some time they threat
ened to upset the pennant aspirations
of the Chicago Cubs. AS the race stands
today, four other teams are very much
in the running and none Of them has
really been counted out for keeps ex-
cept the fading Phillies.
Last year it, was the cracking of the
Vaughan-Piet combination around sec
ond base and the begging down Of the
pitching staff that sunk the Pirates.
This season the inf1eld has been holding
up somewhat better, but the pitchers
have suddenly lost their former effec-
tiveness and the outfielders have not
been hitting up to expectations.
IN the two Waner boys and Fred
i die Lindstrom the Pirates have
an outfleld that is the envy Of every
other team in the league, but they
haven't been walloping the ball up to
standard for scme time. All three
should be hitting above the 800 mark,
but the latest averages showed them
all below that level. Even Pie Traynor,
other Pirate batsmen, has fallen of
in his stick work the last week or so.
Manager George Gibson again has
heard some criticism from the fans
directed at Floyd Vaughan, the peppery
young shortstop. Vaughan had his bap-
tism of major league fire last year and
it was thought he would settle down
this year, but his fielding has been er-
ratio and the pitchers have been COM
planning about his work. He has been
hitting pretty well in the pinches, how
ever, and Gibson Is determined to keep
him in there, convinced that the young
shortstop will steady himself as the
campaign wears on.
The Pirates cause has suffered be-
cause they have not been winning the
close games, the one-run margin con-
tests that often decide a pennant chase.
On the other hand, their chief rivals,
the st. Louis Cardinals and the New
York Giants, have made the best rec
ords to date in winning the close ones.
The Cincinnati Reds also have shown
improvement in this respect, and that
Is one very good reason why they are
making a strong bid to stay up In the
race.
4 S the race Is going now, the Giants
"A would appear to have a slight ad-
vantage in that they are at home
for long stay before hitting the West
ern trail again. The Western teams
will invade the Polo Grounds late in
June. Meanwhile the Giants should be
able to pick up some more percentage
points at the expense of their Eastern
success against the New Workers except
the Boston Braves.
The Giants are compelled to work
hard to pile up some surplus points
during their home stand for they have
yet to prove that they are a good road
team The Cardinals are the club the
Giants will have to beat. In their five
games to date the Giants have lost
every decision. Against the Pirates,
the Cubs and the Reds the showing of
the New York team looks promising, but
it will have to remove that Indian sign
raised By the Cardinals before it can be
accorded healthy chance to lead the
pack home on the final stretch.