Evening star., 1936-07-25
UNSTEADY |NF|ELD
HAS HARRIS UPSET
Big Rally Needed to Beat
Browns Despite Weaver's
Fine Pitching.
BY FRANCIS Z. STAN,
Staff Correspondent OF The Star.

hight for three positions In the
first division as close as II re-
- mains, pessimistic indeed Is the
gent who doesn't concede the
Nationals a chance to sneak into the
money. Nor Is Bucky Harris to be
tagged as Gloomy Gus but, despite
the Washington clubs feat of reach
ing a 500 pace for the current road
trip, Bucky is inclined to think he
will have to make some changes If he
Is going to pilot his outfit anywhere.
From time to time this year Harris
has been bedeviled by pitching and
hitting problems. Now a new bugaboo
has reared its ugly head Something,
ostensibly, must be done to tighten
a defense that has been making the
Washington club resemble a lot of
shoemakers playing their annual pic
mic game.
Opening q four-game series here
yesterday, Monte Weaver pitched a
four-hit game and the Griffs hit often
and solidly, yet bungling defense
sent the Washingtons into the eighth
inning with a 4to-2 deficit and al
most ruined the works. Cliff Bolton,
one Of the chief culprits, redeemed
himself with a terrific home run to
put the Griffs ahead again, 5-4. and
in the ninth they came up with a
flve-run rally to clinch things.
But for a while 1t looked dark.
It is extremely doubtful If the trick
could have been accomplished over
better club than the Browns.
Beat Browns, 1914 Despite Boots.
WEAVER'S effort yesterday, his
second straight win. really was
q masterpiece. The Browns got four
runs, to be sure, but only one of them
was earned and the others should
have been prevented. The Browns.
with everybody in the ball park
knowing what they were attempting
beforehand, pulled a double steal on
Weaver and Bolton and. as a result,
were able to check in with one earned
run.
BY way of bringing to light the
deplorable defense that is being
thrown up by the Griffs, the Hornsby-
men scored their first run when Bol-
ton permitted a passed ball and
runner scored from third base with
two cut. That was In the second
inning, and it tied the score, IL.
In the sixth frame, the Browns
tied the score at %, when Larry
walked and Solters beat out an infield
hit to Lewis with one down. With
Bell at bat, Larry and Solters staged
double steal and Lazy scored
moment later on Bells grounder.
In the seventh, the Washingtons
reached a new low in fielding. To
begin it, Lewis made a two-base error
Of Hemsley's grounder. Careys at
tempted sacrifice bunt forced Rollie at
third, but Caldwell sacrificed sue
cessfully and Kuhel, after takirs
Lewis throw, pegged the ball into
left field, letting Carey tske third
Larry then walked, stole second, and
Travis booted Gifts grounder to let
a run across. Solters' single scored
Larry, making it Az.
Source Of Trouble in Inheid.
THE comedy of errors did not just
start. 1t had been going on ever
since the Griffs nearly achieved second
place on July 4, and then chokeo
when they faced the Yanks in the
roles Of contenders. In the last 81
games, as a matter of fact, Washing
ton has been charged with 43 errors
This hardly BELTS a big-league ball
club On this trip alone a high brand
of defensive play would have enabled
Washington to sweep the White Soa
series earlier in the week and boast
today a perfect record instead of
500 percentage for four games.
The chief source of defensive trou.
Bile, as Harris sees it, lies in the In.
field A smooth-working infield, hi
some of the catching blunders that
have been committed so frequently
lately
For some time now Bucky has been
looking forward to Buddy Myer taking
over his second base post, but Buddy
CA1lAllo 4lC StAAA - uOI 4CClAAS WSA
enough 20 play. Thus Kress will bt
forced to stay in the game. Red, while
fresh. is capable, but at the present
time he is feeling the wear and teal
Of steady play under broiling sun.
Bluege to Take Short.
HARRIS, however, has announced
that, beginning today, Ossit
Bluege will do the shortstopping. Cecil
Travis played brilliantly in the Chi.
cago series, but Bucky does not re.
gard him as good enough to play
short regularly. Travis will be moved
back into the outfield and Bucky must
juggle his other infielders as best hs
can.
"If can get Myer and Bluege in
the game at the same time" declared
Bucky today, "we'll do all right. There
isn't any question but that Myer will
help us If he can play every day
Bluege, know, can't play a full sea.
son, but between Ossie and Kress al
short we could get along in much bet.
ter style"
AS 1t Is now, the defensive bugaboc
may linger, although Bluege's pres.
ence is bound to eliminate some OF
the faults. A ball club cannot &c
along with catchers and infelder,
getting mixed up on foul pops, steal,
by the opposition, ETC., and win. ThA
Sox series proved that and only yes.
terday's belated batting attack null.