Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-05-31
SUFFERS BIG DROP
IN LAST 10 GAMES
Average Now Is Only .276.
Bunt Lone Hit in Twin
Loss to Yankees.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN.

TINE big fellow is too great a
batter to warrant viewing his
failure as an individual with
much alarm, especially at this
early stage of the American League
nag chase. but unless Heinie Manush
finds his batting eye in a hurry the
Nationals are certain to have their
troubles keeping step with the fast
moving procession ahead of them.
Third leading batSman in the circuit
last year and ever the most consistent
of Clark Grifith's hirelings, the big
Dutchman now is in the throes of one
of the worst batting slumps he has
experienced since he first was meas
ured for Washington uniform in
1880. And now, with Buck Newsom's
expensive pitching arm employed only
in arranging an ice pack on his frac-
tured knee and few of Bucky Harris
other hurlers turning in winning per-
formances. is when the Griffs need
base hits most.
Manush. of course, is not the only
talented stick swinger in the lineup,
nor is he the only one having his
difficulties, but Henry Emmett is, to
put it mildly. an important cog, and
seemingly his slump is affecting the
entire team. A week ago an even 300
swatter-modest enough when his life
time major league average of 1897 is
considered-Heinie today can show
only PTS mark for the season, PA
for the last 10 tits, and 1872 for the
last five games. Verify this hurts.
Often Hitting in Tough Luck.
NO ONE knows it more than Heinie
himself aud no one is fighting
harder than the husky outf1elder.
whose lifetime batting record is a
shining example of consistency. Only
twice in IL seasons under the big top
has Manush failed to hit better than
800 and only four times has his bat
ting average been less than $3.50.
Yet. to break INTO the hit column
yesterday in the Memorial day double
header with the Yankees. Manush
had to drag a punt Eight attempts
to drive the ball against both lett and
right handed pitching were frultless.
Heinie is not sinking passiveIy He
Is meeting the ball. many times
squarely on the nose, but Lady Luck
isn't giving the Nationals much of a
tumble these days, it seems, and
Manush still is q member in good
standing on the Harris-piloted band
Somehow, it appears. there always is
a fielder standing in the path of
Manush's migntiest wallops.
PhilIy Invasion May Help.
PERHAPS the change in scenery that
= the Griffmen will undergo today
as they embark for a three-game
series with the Athletics will help. 1t
sometimes does and, next to Boston,
Philadelphia has been Heinies favor
lite hitting GROUNDS this season. In
fact, Philly and the Hub City have
been the only two way stations in
which Manush has resembled the
batSman who has been giving Ameri-
can League pitchers Nightmares for
the last dozen years. In the trio of
tits he has played in each hamlet,
Heinie has hit for AT in Philadel-
phia and .467 in Boston.
While the pitching that three Ma
tional hurlers displayed before the
holiday crowd of $4,000 yesterday was
generally sour, the lack of batting
strength provided an even browner
both games, 4 to O and to 3, and as
sumed the league lead as the White
Sox split with Cleveland.
Big Day for Leagues Lithuanians.
IT WAS a great day for Lithuania's
two contributions to the junior
circuit for Vito Tamulis and Johnny
Broaca did the hurting that swept
the Gothamites into the league lead.
The unbeaten Tamulis southpawed
his way to victory No. and his
second successive shutout triumph in
the opener, limiting the Griffs to six
hits while his mates pecked away
at Bump Hadley's offerings for twice
that many. Hadley, most consistent
OF the Washington pitchers to date,
did not turn in a bad job, and with
any kind of stick support from his
mates he might have given Joe Nc
Carthy's crack rookie real run for it.
AS 1t was, ne watched II of his
mates left stranded on the bases
during the tilt. Not a Washington
runner reached third as the Harris
men absorbed their fifth shutout
defeat of the campaign.
Leon Petit. the local relief hurler
de luxe, temporarily was eliminated
in the nightcap as the fourth regular
starter to supplant Buck Newsom.
Petit had little with which to fool
the Yanks and was withdrawn in the
fifth, with the Nationals facing
5-to-0 deficit Ed Linke, who replaced
the sawed-off southpaw, was no great
shucks, either, and the bespectacled
Broaca won pulling up, giving up
three of the Griffs' 10 blows in the
last inning. The Yanks wound up
with Is safeties off Petit and Linke
giving 'em total of 80 for the day.