Evening star., 1936-07-03
BY FRANCIS e. STAN.
Staff CORRESPONDENT of The Star.

L reaching its peak prepared to
head homeward for a second long
stand today and to prove early to Capt.
tai fans at the expense of the higu-
flying Yankees what it has been prov
ing to itself for o-weeks-that It's
different team.
Win or lose today in the finale Of a
four-game series with the Athletics,
the Harrismen will ride into Griffith
Stadium tomorrow for the traditional
double-header against the Yankees
with snappy road record and as among
chief challengers, if such they may be
called, of the New Yorks.
Base ball phophecies are not safe TO
venture. A fraction of an inch when
the ball strikes the bat is the difference
between a pop fly and homerun.
But If ever a diamond prediction
seemed foolproof, it is that Washing
ton fandom will see new" Griffith
A. G. tomorrow.
New Faces on Display.
THREE new faces will be on display,
notably that of Ben Chapman,
the smooth-felding. hard-hitting CEN
terfelder. who generally is credited
with having much to do with the
Nationals new formidableness. Ben
was traded to Washington the day the
Griffs left for the current tour that
will end at sundoWn. Since he's been
in the lineup the Nationals have won
10 of Is games and have risen from
the second division into a virtual tie
for second place. In Chapman will be
noted cog that has done much to
add balance to club without the loss
OF brilliance.
The other new faces will be pitchers.
Joe Cascarella will make his debut in
the stadium as National and as one
of the heroes of the tour. True, he
won only a single game and lost two,
but the former Red Sox hurler, in
losing, was far from disgraced. He
pitched an eight-hit classic against
Cleveland and lost to Mel Harder He
gave four hits to Chicago and again
was defeated.
The third new lace will be that of
Bill Dietrich, picked up from the AS
the other day on waivers. He has yet
to see action in Washington uniform.
Club Hits, Fields, Get Breaks.
THROUGHOUT the devious jaunt
in both West and East, the
Nationals, to all appearances, have
found themselves. The team is hit
ting-belting the ball at terrific pace.
At field it has improved by leaps and
bounds. The spirit. always good, has
been better since the coming of Chap
man. And. last but not least, Wash
tngton is getting the breaks-the sign
Of winning club.
The Griffs got the breaks yesterday,
for instance. when they downed the
AS for the third straight time, to g.
The victory. credited to Earl Whitehill.
sent the Washington entry soaring
ahead of the beaten Red Sox and into
virtual tie with Detroit for the run
ner-up position.
Philadelphia, whipped 10 times in
II games with the Griffs, made des-
perate bid for victory. Connie Mack
sent Dusty Rhodes to the slab and the
former Boston hurler responded with
a good effort that would have won
under ordinary circustances. Only in
a single inning. the second, did the
Grits bat him hard.
AS Make Bid.
CECIL TRAVIS, finding his eye Of
late, opened the inning with sin
gle and moved to third on another |
single by Cliff Bolton. Red Kress |
fouled out, but Ossie Bluege, the new"
power house, slapped hit to left To
score two runs and, when Whitehill |
followed with a single, Bluege scored |
to make it 80
With Whitehill moving down the |
AS the game seemed to be out of |
danger. In the sixth the Griffs made |
1t 40 on lucky break, for, with two |
down and Travis on first, Bolton lifted |
fly to short right center. Niemiec,
the second baseman; Moses, the center |
fielder, and Puccinelli, the right fielder.
all raced for the ball It dropped |
among them for a double and Travis |
scored with what was to prove the |
winning run.
The AS finished strongly. They |
scored two runs in their half of the |
sixth, another in the eighth, and then |
MADE determined bid for the game
In the ninth, when they put the tying
and winning runs on base with only
one down. Whitehill, however, was
equal to the occasion and registered
his sixth victory of the season.
Griffs In Strategic Position.
THUS the Griffs. now with II wins
road trip, will return home in a |
strategic position. The double header |
with the Yanks tomorrow and the sin
gle game on Sunday comprises
series, Of course. that embraces pit
falls. Nobody has been beating the |
Yankees lately. but there is a feeling |
that II the Mats don't do it now they
never will.
In the first place. they're at the top
Of their game Secondly. with only two
wins in eight tussles with New York,
they're overdue.
After New York comes a rest. Then,
IN succession, will come the Tigers,
Browns, White Sox and Indians. In
Griffith Stadium, too, the Griffs are
long overdue to flash their real ability
IF they can come up with a good
record during the forthcoming home
stand they'll be In q fair way OF fin
ishing at least two-three behind the
Yanks.