Evening star., 1940-05-24
Big RookieMark
For Hitters on
Inland Clubs
Sid Bows to Browns
In 18th; As Foemen
Here Tomorrow
BY BURTON HAWKINS,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT.

GN 1toO Z AZ WA0x11NI1ON,
May 24.-Towering Sid Hudson's
world was crumbling around him to-
day. The youthful Washington
pitcher. labeled as likely to make
the prohibitive leap from Glass D
baseball to the majors from the
first moment his style was scanned
at spring training camp, is being
regarded as somewhat of failure,
possibly because too much has been
expected of him.
Now branded bust, Sid never
theless soon may start to real i'm
provement and justify the glowing
predictions made for him as the
Mats emerged from the South. He
has become acclimated to his new
surrounding in the midst of show
ers of hits, walks and runs. While
the result may have debated his
prestige, 1t may serve to needle him
into more effective performance.
The big. slender, blond victim Of
a three-run 12th-inning spluree by
the Browns yesterday at st. Louis
after the Mats apparently had cap
tured the decision on Jimmy Blood
worth's two-run homer in Washing
tons half of the inning has been
mauled mercilessly in his last three
appearances.
1t appeared he was primed to
climb a few notches in the estima-
ton OF Manager Bucky Harris when
he replaced Walter Masterson start
ing the ninth, but a scratch single
and errors by Shortstop Cecil Travis
and Third BaSeman Buddy Lewis
allowed st. Louis to tie the score
at SIS. In the next two innings
Hudson yielded only a single and
when Bloodworth hammered his
homer over the right-field stands
in the 18th, scoring Travis ahead
OF him, it seemed the Mats journey
would end on a nice note.
Hudson Willis In Twelfth.
Then Hudson collapsed. After
retiring Walter Judnich on a tap
to First Baseman Zeke Bonura, he
pitched home run ball to George
McQuinn to reduce the Mats lead
to 7-6. Rip Radcliffe singled to
center and Chet Laabs drilled q
tremendous triple against the CEN
terheld barrier, scoring Radcliffe
with the tying run. Don Heffner's
fly to George Case in right field was
deep enough to allow Laabs to
scurry across with the winning run
after the catch.
Hudson has suffered considerably
on the road. After winning an IL
hit game at Philadelphia, he started
against Cleveland and remained on
the premises long enough to retire
only one batter, walking five and
granting a hit in a 10-run first in
ming.
Harris at that point rose to Hud-
sons defense and, to his credit, he
still is convinced Sid is going to
be sensational. Anyway, Sid was
started against Chicago and after
two innings the White Sox had
blasted him for six hits and four
runs. St. Louis yesterday pried him
loose from four runs on five hits in
his brief assignment
While Sid joins the bullpen con-
tingent until further notice, there
is an inclination to lean toward the
optimistic concerning the even more
youthful Walter Masterson, who was
replaced by Hudson after checking
the Browns with five hits for eight
innings.
Masterson Picks Up.
Mastersons stamina remains du-
bious in the mind of Harris and
that was the occasion for yanking
him after he faltered to allow st.
Louis two runs, which tied the score
at IA, in the eighth. Walter,
though, was more impressive than
at any time this season and the
display was heartening.
Riding the rails out of the West
with a record of five victories in
II games, the Mats already have
fulfilled the prediction of Prexy
Clark Griffith that the 1910 edition
of his club would provide interesting
action for fans.
The Mats gather hits and runs in
clusters, field acceptability and run
bases better and with more effect
than any team in baseball. Their
pitching. though, has stymied them
and unless it improves perceptibly
Washington is destined to remain
an interesting but mediocre team.
Dutch Leonard, withheld from
action yesterday due to an ailing
knee, will hurl for the Mats tomor-
row when they check in at Grifith
Stadium for two-game series with
the Athletics, who will employ
Chubby Dean on the mound in the
| first game.
Monday the Mats will hit the
road again, playing at New York
and Philadelphia before returning
home to face the invasion OF West
ern teamS