Evening star., 1939-04-16
Lewis III, Ferre|I
Hurt, Likely 10
Miss Opener
Leonard, Ortiz Shine
In Win Over Birds,
Foes Again Today

Virtually on the eve of the base
ball opening, the Nationals con-
tinued to be plagued by illness
and injury and today. as they
awaited the rush of the Yankees
Third Baseman Buddy Lewis was a
clinical case and Catcher Rick Fer
rell was an equally doubtful starter
with a damaged right hand.
Both developments happened just
before the Mats finally broke the
ice at Griffith Stadium yesterday
and won their first home exhibition
game from the Baltimore Orioles,
to is Lewis was abed with a tenn
perature and sore throat, and Fer
rell stuck a finger in the path of
a foul tip in the first inning.
While Lewis physician reported
that Buddy's fever was slight and
that his throat condition was i'm
proving, the specter Of another flu
case hung over the Mats as they
prepared today to invade Balti-
more for their final exhibition
against the Orioles. Ferrell's finger
was not damaged seriously, accord
ing to preliminary examination, but
the first joint was showed back
and it may be painful enough to
keep him out of the opener to-
morrow against the Yankees.
Ailments Plague Mats.
Lewis illness was reported by
Shortstop Cecil Travis, himself a
recent flu victim. The two young
sters are roomates. both at home
ana on the road. He was power
full sick last night reported Travis
yesterday. land he couldn't get up
today. 1t may not be the flu, but
he has all the symptoms Travis
is not in the best of shape. either
The seige of flu he underwent in
Florida put him on the shelf for
the better part of three weeks
part of which he spent in the
hospital.
Not even the four-hit pitching job
that was done by Dutch Leonard
and Roberto Ortiz yesterday could
dispell the gloom that spread over
the Washington club house. Ever
since the exhibition season opened
the Washington clubhouse. Ever
have been dropping of due to in
juries and ailments.
Taft Wright was stricken first
when he sprained an ankle. Then
Travis contracted the flu, Lewis
came up with bad knee, George
Case pulled leg muscle, Buddy
Myer had a brief recurrence of his
stomach trouble and now the cycle
seems to be returning. Wright re-
Gently came up with stiffness in
his neck and Lewis is abed.
Cases "Boner" Proves Help.
Even the Mats victory over the
Orioles yesterday was tinged The
second and winning run in the
eighth inning was legal, but the
other in the third came as a result
of another of Cases base-running
"boners."
With Tony Guiliani on second
base, Case singled to left and took
it for granted that Tony had scored.
The ball was hard hit, cleanly
f1elded, and Coach Clyde Milan held
Giuliani at third. On the throw to
the plate Case took second and, on
the next pitch, tried a steal of
third. He made it, but was en-
barrassed to discover that Guiliani
already was occupying the bag.
Giuliani, run off the bag, dashed
for home. Case raced back to sec
ond. The Orioles entered into the
spirit of things at this point and
forgot to cover home plate. The
result was that Giuliani scored for
a 10 lead.
Leonard only needed one run. In
his six innings, the portly knuckle-
baller allowed only three scattered
hits. The only Oriole to get past
first base was Frank MCGOWAN, who
singled with one out and took second
and third on two wild pitches by
Leonard.
Ortiz Yields Score.
The 600 customers doing in the
pews awoke when rain and Ortiz,
acclimated to soaring sunshine,
came on. 1t was no day for native
Cuban. 1t was cold and damp and
the Mats expected the worst. For a
few fleeting moments they got it.
With one out in the seventh, Travis
booted ball hit by Clock. Then
Bartling singled the Oriole to third
and base on balls filled the bases.
1t looked bad for Roberto. No
control artist even under favorable
weather conditions, Ortiz was hav-
ing trouble throwing in the rain,
but he managed to escape with only
one run scored against him. Skinny
Graham, the Baltimore left fielder,
accounted for this score when he
flied out to Estalella and scored
Clock with the tying run.
Thereafter Ortiz moved down six
straight hitters while the Mats, in
the eighth, made off with the game
OSSie Rllepo uh0 rop1oced Tnu,ic