Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-11
HURL|NG IMPROVES
AS BATTING FADES.
Club, Nicely Balanced, Will
Be Able to Carry On in Its
Fight for Flag.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

N SOmeCllluS VI d OdoeA1lS
slump, Washington'S cham
pionship-chasing ball club
dropped a decision yesterday
and had it's league lead cut to
three games with the runner-up
Yankees putting on a late Splurge
to victory. But the Nationals are
not Tuning either over the defeat
or the falling off in their attack.
AS their batting fades their
pitching improves to make them
a well-balanced outfit that should
carry on smartly with reverses
few.
Their hitting has been we'll below
normal for them since they returned to
their own lot last week. Yet they have
managed to win three of the four
games played in this stay at home. The
Washington curving corps has rallied
CALAMITY to offset largely the recent
deficiency in offensive. So instead OF
being nettled because of their slump
in attack the Nationals, as clipper as
ever, are saying why worry?"
They are confident Of swapping out OF
their slump soon and they reasonably
expect better pitching the remainder
of the season than they have had much
Of the way. Back to normal at bat and
their moundsmen finging in the splen-
did style they can at peak OF form, the
Nationals would take lot of beating in
this fight for the American League flag.
Fall to .268 at Bat Here.
~UT West the last time the Ma
tionals batted at the remarkable
rate of 344 over a 16-game
stretch and all but swept aside Clearly
everything they encountered. contln-
uance of such an offensive pace was
entirely too much to expect OF them,
though. They slowed some in taking
the all-important double-header from
the Yankees in New York on July 4,
and in the four games here since the
holiday bargain bill they have dropped
to 1858 batting gait.
That's nothing to boast of, but 1t
has brought three wins in the tour
games. So soon as the batters slipped.
the pitchers picked up. They have per-
formed nobly in Griffith Stadium in
this home stand. The Nationals in the
four games with the Indians averaged
but runs and 10 hits per game. But
off the fine Washington pitching the
Indians collected at an average OF
little less than runs and an eve1 s
hits per game.
The favorable progress of the Wash
ington ball club for more than SIX
weeks now has been marked by the
ability of one department of play to
improve wonderfully as soon as another
department fell off in its efforts. The
Nationals are nicely balanced and this
balance should keep them rolling
smoothly along the pennant path.
Due to Rally Any Day.
A LMOST any day now the Nationals
u should throw off this batting
slump in which they have been
engulfed really since they left the West
ern sector the first part of the month.
Such natural hitters as are four or fve
of the Capital clubs lineup are not
to be checked at bat over any great
stretch of games. They are up tneTe
swinging much of the time ana the
hits are bound to come.
Thanks mainly to fine pitching, the
Nationals have played .750 base ball
since they came home: Not one OF
their big hitters has helped to any
great extent. Should only two or three
of them swing back into norma! bat
ting stride, though, there would be
such an improvement in the clubs Of
fensive that the chalking up of vic
tories would become right regular
business.
With Whitehill, Crowder, Thomas
and Stewart flinging in fine form the
Nationals now have one OF the best
curving corps in the league. 1t soon
may be even stronger, for Manager Joe
Cronin is about to send Monte Weaver
back to the hill again. In fact, there
was a chance that Monte would take
the hill against the White Sox this
afternoon. This right-hander who was
the rookie sensation Of the 81 campaign
with % victories against 10 defeats, has
convinced himself and his manager
that the pitching arm that went bad
back in the first week of June Is in fine
fettle once more and should produce
winning efforts again.
If this be so. the Nationals Will nave
all the pitching they want through the
second half of their campaign. due to
get under way tomorrow. Backing this
pitching with normal batting, the Cap
ital club ought to go places it has not
been for years.