Evening star., 1938-06-13
MATS TOUR WEST
D0-OR-D|E AFFAIR
On First Division Fringe,
Club Opens FatefuI Set
With Tribe tomorrow.
BY BURTON HAWKINS.

VIliI IlUc UIIIOTTOWs
BY BURTON HAWKINS.
Still within splitting distance of first
place, but missing the cuspidor too
frequently. the severely lacerated Ma
tionals eagerly relished the oppor-
tunity to stink from town under cover
OF darkness tonight. Hanging by a
thread at the moment, the sagging
spirit of the club may be shattered
completely at Cleveland or. by some
miraculous fashion, be restored.
That three-game series with Cleve-
land, first stop on a swing around
the circuit, offers a fighting chance
to recoup vanished prestige and, with
flfth-place Detroit swinging into stride,
the Mats now could stand a reversal
of form.
1t borders on the insane side, but
despite losing seven of their last nine
games the Nationals could alter the
complexion of league standings by
clicking at Cleveland. Their toboggan
trend has landed them only half
game from the second division, but,
for some 'unexplainable reason, still
only AZ games behind the league
leading Indians.
Bonura to Be Benched.
The first alteration in an attempt
to snap the Mats from their evil road
concerns good-natured but poor
hitting Zeke Bonura, the sizeable
chunk of humanity at first base
Starting tomorrow, zeke will alternate
his job with 22-year-old Jimmy Was
dell, who has been recalled from In
dianapolis of the American Associa-
ton by Prexy Clark Griffith.
Hardly enthusiastic over Bonura's
inability to emerge from his pro-
longed batting slump, Manager Bucky
Harris plans to employ zeke only
against left-hand pitching, gambling
on the quietly confident Wasdell to
provide more punch against right
handlers. Bonura, currently swatting
.241, has been disappointment de-
spite leading the club in propelling
runs home.
Wasdell, purchased in the winter Of
1886 from Minneapolis for the equiva-
lent of $4,000 in cash, Washington
giving Carl Reynolds, Red Kress and
$4,000, was sent to Indianapolis a
month ago for seasoning in the out
field after Bonura apparently had
wedged him out of contention at first
base.
Griff After Pitcher.
Grifith, however. hardly expects
that to. provide the remedy and in
veiled desperation is angling for a
pitcher. After their sorry showing
yesterday in blowing 10-run lead.
gaining the edge again at 12-ll and
finally booting an 1912 decision to
the Tigers, the Nationals are in the
mood to receive aid on the mound.
1t generally is accepted Griffith
does not expect to stand pat on his
throwing staff and despite denials
there is evidence he will swing deal,
or 60 down swinging, before Wednes-
day midnight, the deadline, rolls
around. 1t may be Johnny Stone.
involved in trade rumors recently. will
be used as bait, with Wasdell Inherit
ing his outfield post.
The acute need of more creditable
hurting forcibly was rammed home to
Griffith as Detroit swept the final OF
a three-game series, for the Tigers
rudely whammed the assorted offer
ings of four fingers for 20 hits, crush
ing the Nationals in their most de-
moralizing defeat of the season. If
Washington sinks to the second divi-
sion. it probably will concede that
game as the turning point.
Twice Yield Lead to Tigers.
The horrible details may be dis
missed lightly. In brief. the Nationals
slammed out seven runs in the third
inning and added four more in the
fourth after rain had threatened to
wipe out that advantage through
postponement The rain relented,
however, and the Nationals resumed
the formality of completing the game.
Detroit, which had showed over
run in the fourth, bounced back with
a mild rally Of 10 runs in the sixth
to tie the score amid crescendo Of
boos directed principally at Yves Fer
rell and Harry Kelley.
The Nationals manufactured what
loomed as the winning run in the
seventh on successive singles by Buddy
Lewis, George Case and Stone, but
the Tigers again found the range IN
the ninth. This time, however, the
Mats comparatively were successful,
for Pete Appleton and Joe Krakauskas
allowed only seven runs.
Charley Gehringer collected single,
double, triple and home run and
Buddy Myer enjoyed a perfect day
with three singles and a double. but
those feats were lost in the confusion