Evening star., 1937-07-22
Al HITS IN RUNS
TO CRUSH CH|SOX
DE Shong, After Poor Start,
Pitches Well to Snap TO-
Game Losing Streak.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.

etsn Correspondent of The Star.
~ H1CAGo, July 22.-Exulting in
their first victory since July S.
the Nationals enjoyed day of
~ respite from the diamond wars
today and wondered If their outlook
really was as black as painted. For
one heartening item, they are able to
point to the potent bat of Al Simmons,
which again is blasting all kinds of
pitching.
Back in May, when the Griffs were
finding the going tough, AL struck his
stride at bat and pulled them out of
q slump. For while the Harrismen
went along in good fashion. Then
came the injury to Simmons finger
and with him out, the Mats went into
their big se-dive.
In the last week the thunder in
AIS bat has been rolling again and
when Simmons is hitting his club
always has chance. This was demon
strated in the White Sox series. In
the opener Of the two-game set his
three singles kept Yves Ferrell in a
l0-inning battle that finally was lost,
4 to 3. Yesterday as the Mats broke
their lG-game losing streak and the
six-game winning streak OF the Pale
Hose, AL drove across three runs and
scored two others in 7-to-3 victory.
Catches Up With Pitchers.
CIMMONS has yet to drive his way
into the 800 class, but with any
kind Of break in luck he seems a
cinch to finish the year well over the
mark.
Al returned to the lineup on this
Western trip with his left hand still
badly swollen from the fracture he
sustained when hit by ball pitched
by Oral Hildebrand on June l8. This
swelling, plus his layoff, handicapped
him at the start. In his first four
games Al batted only .166
Then suddenly he caught up with
the pitchers again. In the last two
games OF the Detroit series he batted
500, collecting four hits in eight Off
cial times at bat. He drove two home
runs and batted across three runs
while scoring two others. In Chicago
he made five hits in 10 trips for an
other 500 average. All told. AL already
has made up for his slow start on the
swing. He now is hitting a 1893 clip
for the tour. In 33 times at bat he has
made II hits, scored six runs and
driven across seven. Three OF his hits
were home runs.
Homers Give De Shong Lead.
! SIMMONS swings what easily is the
- most dangerous bat on the Wash
ington club. The Mats make great
many hits but few of them drive runs
across. They lead the American
League in runners left on base and
this total mounted while Simmons
was on the sidelines. Al really is the
only cleanup hitter" on the outfit.
It was Simmons hitting, Jimmy De
6hong's pitching, and an error by
Bozie Berger that gave the Mats their
first and only win on the Western
swing, which will end with a three
game series in st. Louis, beginning
y tomorrow.
First to face Bill Dietrich in the
opening inning was Melo Almada,
who promptly slammed into the right
1eld stands for home run. Buddy
Lewis drew base on balls and Sim
mons stepped up to wallop his third
homer In four days into the upper
dock Of the left-field stands. This
gave De Shong a 3-to-0 lead
Jimmy Steadies After Start.
nE SHONG'S start was pretty sad
The first two men to face him,
Hayes and Kreevich, singled and hit
. home run. respectively But there
after, James Brooklyn settled down |
to some real pitching. From then un-
til two were out in the eighth inning, |
the Sox made only one hit off him.
Berger's error. coming in the third |
inning, helped the Mats toward the
scoring OF three unearned runs and |
these, it developed, meant the ball |
game. With two out and Simmons |
on base, Berger booted a grounde-
by Stone and, at this point, Kuhel |
tripled to drive across both mates. |
A moment later Kuhel scored when |
Myers grounder to Appling took a
bad hop and went for q hit. This
made 1t So
Sugar Cain took over the Chisox
pitching after this frame and proved
10 be distinct improvement. Not |
until the seventh, when successive
singles by Lewis, Travis and Simmons
were made, were the Mats able to
make any real headway.
A bad hop also aided the Pale Hose.
>. and to the extent of picking up
their third and final run in the eighth. |
With two down grounder by Walker
hopped weirdly over Travis shoulder.
A walk to Bonura and Radclin's
single did the rest.