Evening star., 1938-07-04
GR|FFS PEPPEDUP
FOR HOME STAND
End of Losing Streak Puts
Life in CIub-Starting
Hur|ers Face Change.
By BURTON HAWKINS.

A more stable Washington ball club,
plagued recently by paralysis of power,
today returned to the spacious sur
roundings of Griffith Stadium a COM
parative heaven for its curving corps,
intent on improving its standing dur
ing the three-week stay.
The outfleld situation settled BY the
acquisition Of Sammy West from st.
Louis, the steady slamming of Rookie
George Case and the Sporadically SEN
sational blasting Of Al Simmons, cou-
Piled with the removal Of Johnny
Stones contention through illness,
Manager Bucky Harris has switched
to more vital problems
With the Snorting Yankees invading
for double header today, Harris was
TO scan the hurting Of Kendall Chase
and Chief Hogsett with renewed in
| tereSt for improvement by either may
create revision of starting assign
ments. with 32-year -old Harry Kelley
and retiring Monte Weaver already in
cluded in future plans
Weaver. employed chiefly in relief
roles this season, inserted a shot of
strychnine into the mound staff yes
terday. finally fracturing the Ma
tiona!s' five-game losing streak with
four-hit performance. It NAV have
meant Monte has recovered his effec-
! tiveness and Harris has indexed him
for more frequent toll.
Leonard Scorned by Luck.
Kelley, smashed from the box in his
last effort by the Yankees, who have
captured their last eight games,
nevertheless is vastly improved
/ pitcher. as indicated by the one run
he yielded in 18 innings prior to that
collision. Until he shows more dis
cernable signs of deterioration Harris
| will continue TO use him.
Dutch Leonard, who has hurled
three Shit games and one 5-hitter in
his last flve starts has been stamped
as somewhat of hard-luck guy, for
ne has captured only one victory over
that stretch. His 80 losing perform
ance yesterday in the first game at
Philadelphia, in which the AS scored
all their runs in one inning on three
hits, was an example of Leonard's
Illustration.
OF equal concern. however, ha!
been the hitting or lack Of it. Until
they smashed 10 hits off the COM
bined offerings of q trio of Athletic
laborers to win the second game.
14-2. the Mats had suffered the agony
OF scoring only three runs in four
previous games.
Since virtually every pitcher has
been q decided risk, tho Mats re-
deeming feature this season has been
their solid whacking Without 1t
they have noundered, and that largely
Is the reason they returned home with
only eight victories in 19 engagements
on their swing around the circuit.
Case, Simmons Swat.
Case and Simmons, however, were
refreshing items on that lengthy jour-
ney. The Comet swatted a neat 1888
collecting IS hits in IS trips to the
plate, while Simmons smashed %
hits, including six home rups, two
doubles and triple. TO bat In 70
runs and compile 4 1923 average
Buddy Myer hardly was . drawback,
registering 1926 average.
Red Ruffing and Bump Hadley
were to give the Mats hitters q thor
ough test today before what wax ex-
pected to be q capacity crowd, but
Harris feels the prolonged drought
OF safeties has ended.
When they rocketed from their
slump the Nationals did nothing In
halfway measure. They shooed
Lynn Nelson from the mound In ths
seventh, chased Edgar Smith In ths
same inning and continued to pounc
Nelson Potter.
Four runs bounced off their bats In
the second inning and nine more fol-
lowed in the seventh. And the way
Weaver was pitching it had no SEM
blance Of q contest.
In the first game, however, George
Caster effectively shackeled the Mats
allowing only four hits, all singles
Not until the sixth inning did Caster
grant q hit, and he remained vir-
tually untouchable over the route to
thrill some $4,000 spectators.
|