Evening star., 1940-07-17
Only Those Idle
Help Standings;
Dodgers Fade
Flags Moy Be Settled
By 'DefouIt'; Cords
Make 1t 6 in Row
BY JUDSON BAILEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

ASSOCIATED PreeS Sports writer.
It's fast becoming apparent that
there isn't a standout ball club in
either major league this year and
the pennants likely are to be
awarded by default.
The only contenders In either cir
cult that did themselves any good
yesterday were the ones that were
idle and the great rush in reverse
must be mighty embarrassing to a
lot of people.
The soundest combination in the
big show seems to be the Cincin-
natl Reds. who can repeat their
National League championship if
they don't drop over dead. Even
the Reds aren't irresistible and the
rain in Cincinnati yesterday didn't
do them any harm.
The Brooklyn Dodgers folded up
in front of the Pittsburgh Pirates
So and increased Cincinnati's first
place margin to 31a games. Brook
lyn held 80 lead up until the last
half of the sixth when three doubles
and single by Bob Elliott chased
Tex Carleton and tied the score.
The Pirates fashioned two more
runs around triple by Elliott in the
eighth.
Macks Beat Hutchinson.
In the American League the only
first division club that didn't bite
the dirt was Boston, whose Red Sox
had an idle day.
Cleveland lost its third straight
and the series to the weird Wash
ington Senators, who made four
errors and still couldn't give the
game back to the Indians.
The Detroit Tigers bowed to the
Philadelphia Athletics. 81, but con-
tinued to hold a slim lead in the
league race.
Fred Hutchinson, the $4,000
pitching wonder of the Tigers, made
his first start since returning from
the minors and rendered a 6-hitter.
striking out six and walking none.
But three of the hits coupled with
one Of two errors by Pinky Higgins
gave the AS two runs in the third.
Sam Chapman added a homer in
the eighth. If addition George
Caster held the Tigers to six hits
with better spacing.
Johnny Rigney stopped the world
champion New York Yankees again
on six hits as the Chicago White Sox
plastered Marius Russo for an even
dozen and the ball game, 81. The
Sox got six OF their hits and four
of their runs in the second and third
innings and finished of with Joe
Kuhel's 18th home run and second
In two days in the fifth frame.
Cubs Blanked by Giants.
But the New York Giants. So
called contenders and third place
fixtures in the National League,
again showed up everybody in the
futility department by getting shut
out. 20. in Chicago
Harry Gumbert allowed only four
hits, but in the seventh inning two
walks and an error filled the bases
and Phil Cavaretta singled home the
winning runs. On the other hand,
the Giants got six hits and five
walks from Vern Olsen, but hit into
four double plays and left eight
runners stranded, three in one in
ming.
1t was the fifth loss in seven
Western games for the Giants. Be-
fore the game Manager Bill Terry
had Burgess Whitehead and Tony
Cuccinello swap their infield posi-
tions, explaining the strategy thus:
Its my ball club and that's the way
want it."
The only bright spot on the base
ball map continued to be st. Louis,
where the Cardinals beat the Bos-
ton Bees, 4-3, for their sixth con-
secutive victory. Boston made IL
hits off Clyde Shoun to nine for the
Cards, but the latter sum included
two home runs by Enos Country
Slaughter and the Oath of the sea-
son for Johnny Mize.