Evening star., 1940-03-25
Imports Dismal
Slab Failures
Under Fire
Outlook Dreory for
Club Lacking Punch,
Sound Pitching
sy a Staff correspondent of The Star

Sound Pitching
By Staff Correspondent Of The Star.
ORLANDO, Fla. March 25.-
Things are in a frightful dither in
the Mats training camp here today.
It seems a delegation from Char
lotte and Springfield is leaving
camp and today is an of day in the
Grapefruit League campaign. 1t
seems that practically all of Scout
Joe Cambria's foreign importations
are about washed up and, most of
all. it looks as If the Mats aren't
going to be half the club they prom
ised to be couple of weeks ago.
So fal the Griffmen have played
nine games against major and minor
league opposition and lost six. They
blew another to the Detroit Tigers
yesterday at Lakeland by i2-0 and
Manager Bucky Harris, heretofore
extremely patient with his Cubans
and the South American, Alexandra
Carrasquel. is ready to quit on the
entire crew.
Rene Monteagudo. Gilberto Torres
and Carrasquel aren't major league
pitchers and the longer Harris fools
with them the more time he wastes.
It is time somebody on the WASH
ington club woke up. None of the
trio ever will make a major league
pitcher.
Mats Have No Punch.
AS far as that goes the Mats are
bad ball club. That is, they are
bad of what they've shown this
spring. Outside Of Dutch Leonard
and Ken Chase they have no first
class pitching. They are not grade
A on defense and at bat they are
pitiful. The Tigers disgraced them
again yesterday and proved that for
all of the acquisition of Gee Walker,
who still is nursing sore back, the
team has no punch.
Today the Mats rested from
Grapefruit League competition. 1t
is just as well. Harris dreams of
having a hard hitting ball club are
about vanished. The Mats of 1910.
bearing a singular resemblance to
the clubs of 1899 and 1888. generally
are punchless and pitcherless.
Grand Exodus Starts Today.
Today the grand exodus of rockies
was to begin. Outfielder Joe Mel
lendeck now is en- route to Green
vile, S. c., where he will join the
Springfield club of the Eastern
League. Direct to Charlotte were
to go Roberto Ortiz. First Baseman
Jack Sanford, Outfelder Jack
Gedeon, Infielder Sherard Robert
son, Shortstop Ray Hoffman and
Pitcher Lou Thurman. Members of
the Orlando, Shelby and Salisbury
farm teams have not been picked
as yet.
Not until Wednesday. when the
Tigers come here. will the Mats play
another exhibition. A week from
this game they will break up train
ing camp and head northward in
easy stages.
Harris pitching plans now are
haywire. He has soured on Bucky
Jacobs. Joe Haynes, Almon Williams
and a flock of others, including
Carrasquel and Torres. Left are
Leonard, Chase, Joe Krakauskas,
Hudson, Dean and one or two more.
But off what we've shown so
far" Harris admitted, tersely, well
never win pennant."
Cambria's Discoveries Are Flops.
Two rookie Detroit pitchers, Dick
Conger and Freddy Hutchinson, held
the Mats to seven hits and no runs.
It marked the second time this
spring the Mats have been shut out,
Cleveland previously having done
the job. In their last two appear
ances against American Association
clubs they were beaten. 22-5, by the
flag winning Kansas City Blues and
81 by the fourth place Milwaukee
club. which had been in training
only three days.
Up to now Harris has been OPEN
minded about the Latin delegation
corraled by Scout Joe Cambria but
now Bucky is pretty well convinced
that Carrasquel, Arturo Castro,
Torres, Monteagudo and anybody
else dug up by the little scout are
no good for major league purposes.
Hudson, Dean Star Away.
Carrasquel, who started against
the Tigers. was no puzzle from the
outset. When Alex left after three
innings the score was TO and,
promptly carrying on, came Torres.
The skinny Cuban, who had no busi-
ness getting a trial in the Washing
ton camp as a pitcher, was even
worse. He was nicked for five runs,
including a homer by Birdie Teb-
belts, the first inning he worked.
The only impressive hurler for the
Washington regulars was Walter
Masterson, who flung the two final
innings.
Meanwhile, at nearby Sanford, the
Nat Yannigans won 2-to-1 victory
over Nashville of the Southern AS
sociation in story-book game which
enhanced the standing of Sid Hud-
son and James Henry Dean. The
two Florida State League recruits
hurled six innings, gave up no hits.
and left the pitching to Monteagudo
when the last three frames came
around. on Monteagudo in the
ninth the Vols scored their run but,
earlier. Roberto Ortiz won it when
he hit 44O-foot home run to make
$ho eoore On