Evening star., 1936-07-02
PUNCH, PRECISION
MARKS PROGRESS
Season Hit Record Is Set
as Club Scars by Beating
Mackmen Twice.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.


PHILADELPHIA, July 2.-The
- base ball analyst who surveys
the Nationals today finds a
Il ball club tasting the sweets of
success and fired with new ambition to
gorge itself.
Not since the pennant-winning year
Of 1888 has there been such a glow
ing picture of Washington base ball.
There may not be the same feeling
about reaching the pinnacle, but when
all is considered, the Harris men of
today must be rated equally as sue
cessful as the championship machine
OF three years ago.
Given scarcely a chance to finish
In the first division, the Griffs now
are tied with BoStonS Gold Stockings
for third place. percentage point
back of the second place Tigers. Not
until you look back a few months
does the significance, even if less
than half the season has gone by,
hit you. The S2,00O000 Red Sox and
the bargain-counter Nationals tied
up!
AIS Well With World.
THE future is even roster. The
Nationals, to all appearances, are
charging. They are getting better all
the time, as witness the debacle yes
terday. when they twice rode over
the hapless Athletics.
Boston's Gold Stockings. outwardly,
are unraveling rapidly Cleveland, on
the road only one day. already has
lost ground-and in St. Louis. The
Tigers are hot, but it must be remem-
bered, they still are minus the serV-
ices of Hank Greenberg and Mickey
Cochrane
Promising? Yea. Twice more-today
to take cracks at their cousins" from
Philadelphia Then, while the Tigers
and Indians are making out as best
they can on the road Washingtons
surprising entry will settle down in
Griffith Stadium and play host.
The Griffs have no wild ambitions
connected with the oyerhauling of
the high-fying Yankees. This is no
sign of an inferiority complex but,
rather, sign of good judgment. First
of all, the Nationals are going to
see what they can do about getting
fair sort of a grip on second place
before seeking new worlds to conquer.
Hitting On All Cylinders.
THE Harrismen today seem to be at
= the top of their game. Joe Kuhel
is going great guns. Ossie Bluege has
proved himself to be the sparkplug of
the infeld The Griffs' record of 10
wins in Is starts since Ben Chapman
has been with the club speaks loudly
for Chappie's influence. Buddy Lewis
seemingly has snapped out of the
slump Red Kress is-well, they're all
choking.
This may be season of lively balls
and Connie Mack's pitchers may be
a lot of guys who ought to be back
on their North Carolina farms doing
their milking, but you still cannot
overlook the double victory of yes
terday here. 1t was, first of all. the
first double header the Griffs have
won this season.
Off their bats bounced 80 base hits
blows that rang. for the most past,
clearly and solidly. They produced
81 runs, two-game record for the
Washington club this season. Another
record for the Nationals this season
was their feat Of clouting four home
runs.
Afleld there was nothing that was
not sheer brilliance. Right down the
line the Griffs are on their toes.
Deshong, Newsom Win 10.
iTIMMY DESHONG and Buck New
som, leading pitchers of the club,
today held their tenth victories OF
the season. De Shong was batted
hard in the opener yesterday but, de-
spite that, he breezed home to
I3-to-5 victory behind a 15-hit at
tack. Leaders in this Washington
offensive were Lewis and Kuhel. Each
parked home run over the right
field fence and made two other hits.
Lewis scored four runs and batted
across another; Kuhel scored three
times himself and chased across
four runs.
10 we'll balanced, but it was no less po-
tent. In the fourth inning the Wash
ingtons batted around and came up
with eight runs to overcome 2-to-l
deficit. Newsom, tanning 10 batters
and walking only one, had an easy
time of it.
The Griffs made II hits in the
nightcap, including homers by Chap
man and Johnny Stone. Kress, with
three hits, helped his batting average
the most.
For the day 80 hits were made by
Washington. They were good for
30 bases. This should give fair sort
Of an idea of how the Griffs, at least
against second division pitching, are
teeing off And they promise to be
ready for the Yanks this week end