Evening star., 1936-04-17
Don't Get EN- Around,

PEFORE the WaSh1ngtonS won their
opening game in Griffith Stadium
by 1-to-0 count, for instance, they
kicked away exactly five good scoring
opportunities. The whole business in
Volved leaving eight runners stranded
on the base paths. The following day.
In winning by 6-to-5 count, the Ma
tionals left II runners on base. Yes
terday, in the process of having their
baby winning streak broken, II run
ners we're stranded.
The Nationals team standing and
prospects of bettering it against the
Athletics here today and tomorrow
smacks of great start, but if you go
by the left-on-base totals-and they
mean a lot in the long run-the re-
fection Of futility isn't complimentary.
So far Bucky Harris ball club hasn't
grasped its opportunities to the fullest
extent.
1t could be amplified this way. In
the opener the Nationals placed II
men on the.runways and only scored.
In the second game the Washington
club had 81 men reaching base and
only scored. Yesterday the Ma
tionals managed to reach base 18
times and only times did they dent
the plate. And the defensive work of
the Yankees wasn't so hot, either. what
with six erorrs in the short series.
Bolton Snaps Streak.
NEW YORK deserved to score that
6-to-5 victory it gained as the Ma
tionals bade farewell to Washington
for the next eight days, which will in
volve the playing of nine games here,
in New York and in Boston. The
Yanks outSlugged the home crowd yes
terday, getting Is hits for total of
80 bases. But still it could and should
have been Washington's ball game,
even if it must be carried down to the
ninth inning to put any emphasis on
the observation.
The Nationals were trailing by a
score when the ninth opened with
Cecil Travis grounding to frankie
Crosetti at shortstop. frankie made
a palpable miss of the ball to put
Travis on base Then Carl Reynolds,
next up, bunted to Lou Gehrig and by
the grace of dubious ruling by Um-
pire Red Ormsby he was called safe on
close play.
Here Joe Kuhel walked up and failed
to sacrifice against the first two of
Relief Pitcher Walter Browns offer
ings. Both rolled foul and Kuhel
finally was forced into a f1elder's
choice, the Yanks getting Reynolds
while Travis went to third.
The stage till was set, however, for
anything except what Cliff Bolton, next
up, finally committed In a manner
strikingly similar to the way he ended
the 1888 world series Bolton hit into a
double play-short to second to first
to inflict the first setback of the season.
Bokina Starts Well.
The game had its good points, de-
spite the ending. For one thing it
marked the Nationals return to the
batting form they had exhibited all
during Spring training. For another
thing it showed that Rookie Joe Bokina
might we'll be of some help in a pitch
ing way this season.
Pete Appleton started for the Ma
tionals and after being staked to a
2-to-0 lead in the second inning the
veteran blew up and was nicked for
5 runs in the third and fourth frames
as result of some long distant clout-
ing by the New Yorks. In the Wash
1ngton fourth. however, the home side
counted 3 runs to tie it up.
Bokina took up the pitching for
Washington in the fifth and did a
pretty good job for youngster making
his big g-league debut. Joe made only
one mistake and it was costly. In the
seventh, with Bill Dickey on second
base, Bokina threw a pitch inside to
Dixie Walker, whom he had famed
with outside balls two innings back.
And Walker teed of for a triple that
scored Dickey with what proved to be
the winning run.
It was no disgrace to lose, but it
wasn't particularly to the Griffs' credit.
A little more opportunity-g and
the Nationals would be plenty tough,
pitching or no pitching.