Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-04-22

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i punch is developed by a
combination of batters aver
aging Ct points less in attack
than it did last season can the
Nationals be expected to win right
regularly.
A surprising lack of power right
down the line has hurt the Wash
ington club in the early going, OF
course, but its lack of a quick,
vigorous batting thrust when it
has the opposition at disadvan-
tage has hurt it most.
In each of the five games they have
lost, the Nationals missed sterling scor-
ing chances because their punch sud-
denly petered out. A one-two punch
and all the defeats except that here
Thursday might well have been turned
into victories for the Cronin crew.
Why the Washington club has not
this decisive attack is beyond compre-
1tllSlOI. 4INllL 44JNA eAAASoo-A N>">~A
the string of batters that has been in
there regularly from the outset OF the
campaign was a potent force extensively
last year. Aggregate figures show these
eight batting for combined average OF
.296 when distributed among three clubs
in 1892.
And among these eight batters are
four who last season were among the
leagues first IS at driving over runs.
Manush, Cronin, Goslin and Schultz
were there in the pinches in 80. Only
the Yankees have in their lineup at
present more batters who specialized at
driving over runs in the last champion
ship chase But the Washington quar-
tet is not in close harmony with team
mates that happen to get on the runway
these days.
The eight batters who, when scat
tered, hit for such a sturdy aggregate
average last year are batting as group
only .229 to date in this American
League race. And the four SO good at
showing runs across last year have
showed across only eight tallies in the
eight games this season. Less than
one-third Of the runs registered by the
Nationals.
The Griffith guards have had many
opportunities without cashing in. No
wonder they have taken it on their
chinS four times in row. The one
two punch has been thrown by the
other fellows plenty and with telling
effect. The Griffs, though, after get
ting made to order Set-ups for killings
have stccd by.
THEY stood by yesterday to take
i 3-to-1 walloping in the second
game of the series with the Ath-
1etics. The Nationals outhit and out
f1elded the AS and with a one-two
punch in any of the first three frames
could have helped themselves to win.
They weren't there in the pinches,
though, as attested by the total of II
they left on the runway.
Merritt Cain, a pitcher back with the
AS after season Of schooling with
the Baltimore club, was sent to the hill
by Connie Mack and while the right
handler is a pitcher of great promise he
wasn't so good yesterday that he could
not have been easily licked. Not only
was he unsteady in the early going, but
he also was handicapped by lot of
loose fielding done By DID Williams,
filling in at shortstop for the Athletics.
But Cain got lot of confidence after
he found the Nationals would not seize
opportunities that came their way and
wound up pitching a pretty good ball
game to score his first victory of the
year.
In each of the first two frames, the
Nationals had two runners on with only
one out only to be banked Goslins walk
followed Manushs double in the first,
but Cronin forced cut Goslin and
Schultz fOuled cut. Sswell singled in
the second after an error BY Williams
had put Bluege On. but Crowder drilled
into a tWO-Way erasure retiring the side.
In the third Myer got on when his
grounder was funbled by Williams and
there we're two on with none out, when
the shortstop dropped an intended
force play throw made by Bishop, who
had scooped up Manush's roller. Cos
Inns best, though, was pop to the
third sacker. Cronin forced out Ma
nuSh, but pass to Schultz filled the
bases. Away went another scoring
chance as Kuhel popped to the second
baseman.
All told, the Nationals got eight hits
and two passes eff Cain. They were
saved from Shut-out, because Myer
managed to loft homer over the right
field wall at the start of the fifth inning.
Singles by Cronin and Schultz also were
out and all Kuhel did was hoist HARM
lessly to the right gardener.
After that the Nationals never had
a lock in.
lust seven hits were made by the
AS, but they outwalked the Ma
tionals and that got them the de-
cision. Al CroWder was wild from the
start and before he gave way to Bob
Burke in the sixth he issued six passes.
Three Of these were converted into Mack
markers
Bishop opened the first and third in
ningS by walking to first and each time
he scored. 1t was a single by Bing Miller
that sent Max across the first time and
one by Jimmy Foxx produced the second
tally. CroTder also walked Cochrane
in the third frame and trick double to
center hit by Finney after two were out
got Mickey home.
A double play kept Crowder out of
trouble in the fifth when he was nicked
for three singles, but after he walked
the first two batters up in the sixth
Skipper Cronin hailed Burke to the hill.
But one very scratchy single was CLEANED
off the stringbean southpaw the re-
mainder of the way.