Evening star., 1938-08-27
'FARMHANDS' FIT,
OLD FOX BOASTS
Owner Had Better Be Right
After MauIing Tigers
Give His Vets.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN.

ANY Gay now uncle clark Grlmth,
who owns the Washington ball club,
Is going to publicly disclose q num-
Der Of young men he has salvaged
from various minor league farms"
and among this collection will be
the young pitchers I developed while
the other clubs are squawking about
there not being any pitchers"
For the sake of Mr.. Griffith and
the Nationals it Is to be hoped the
old gentleman knows whereof he
speaks and boasts For, as the Mats
today resume their fight for fourth
place with the Detroit Tigers, 1t is
distressing to note that Mr.. G. hasn't
many winning pitchers
That 9-to-3 pasting sustained yes
terday marked Harry Kelley's second
straight setback and his seventh de-
feat of the season in a Washington
uniform. Inasmuch as Harry has
won only seven games, the veteran
right-hander who Is recognized as
the ace Of the staff cannot be classed
as winning pitcher.
So, with Kelley back at the son
mark, the Mats have only two pitchers
with winning percentages. One is
Monte Weaver, with seven victories as
against five defeats. and the other is
Dutch Leonard, with II wins and 10
defeats.
Harris Due Saliva Test.
1t will come as no surprise If Mr.
Bucky Harris is hauled onto the carpet
soon and given a saliva test by the
brass hats of baseball. Despite the
swapping Of their three-game winning
streak yesterday the Mats remain
In fourth place, a game and 4 hal!
ahead of the Tigers.
The Griffs have a winning per-
centage of slightly better than 500
and they still have their eyes on the
S400 or $500 which will be awarded 70
each member Of the fourth place clubs
in the American and National Leagues
But how they have reached this estate
and held 1t for so long Is making
talk.
Until Kelley was beaten yesterdav
the Mats had three pitchers over the
500 mark. Now they have two over
that figure and with Dutch Leonard
scheduled to face George Gill TODAY
1T is even possible for twilight to re-
veal Weaver as the only hurler to
win more games than he has lost.
Wes Couldn't Finish Games.
1t may develop that Harris will be
searched for % mirrors, a, RABBITS
feet, and t3 hand-is- quicker than
the-eye penchant. Pete Appleton, de-
spite two successive victories as
starting pitcher, has only five wins
as against five defeats. Jimmy De
Shong has won five but dropped
eight games. Ken Chase has lost
eight and won only five games and
Joe Krakauskas. the eighth member
OF what Mr.. Griffith is pleased to
call pitching staff, has two victories
to show as against four defeats
Naturally it will be recalled that
before he left. Wes Ferrell had won
Is and lost games for the Mats.
This Is part of the reason why the
Grif1men are in fourth place, but at
| the same time it must be remembered
| that Wesley was released for sheer
incompetence. Grifith and Harris de-
clared that Ferrell couldn't finish
what he started and any close scrutiny
OF the records will come dangerously
close to proving their point.
Harris, probably the most COM
petent handler Of pitchers among the
major league managers, may have
learned lesson within the last week,
Bucky tried to start Kelley on two
days OF rest during q recent series
in Boston. Harry had just won three
straight for the Mats and Harris tried
to press his luck with the veteran.
1t seemed that Harry wasn't ready
and he took sound lacing.
Kelley took his usual rest before
trying to work yesterday but he didn't
have his stuff and it may have been
that his peculiar schedule softened
him up. Anyway, Harry was driven
from the box after three innings and
the Tigers, taking 4-to-0 lead early
IN the game, coasted to victory be-
hind the nine-hit pitching of Alton
Benton
The game was over in the third
inning. when the Tigers capitalized on
two inneld errors and three hits To
score their first four runs. on De
Shong they made 1t S to in the
fifth and only for few minutes were
the Griffs in the game
Zeke Hits No. II.
The fact they were close At all was
due to Zeke Bonura. who walked 70
the dish in the sixth inning and.
with two men on base, slammed his
18th home run of the season to cut
the score to 5-3.
Joe Krakauskas. meanwhile, had
taken up the Washington pitching, but
after . good start the southpaw strike
out artist wasn't up to par. The Tigers
reached him for three runs In the
seventh and another in the ninth
and Benton, pulling himself together
after his bad sixth inning, won his
second victory of the year for the
| Detroits.
The Mats were to wind up their
series with the Tigers today. Leonard
was to work for the Grifith A, G.
and George Gill for the Bengals. Tn.
attraction At Griffith Stadium start
ing tomorrow will be a stirring two
I