Evening star., 1940-08-09
By BURTON HAWKINS.

You'll pardon Manager Bucky
Harris of the Mats If he appears
puzzled over whether to swig cham
payne in honor of Walter Masterson
and Rene Monteagudo or simply fry
them in oil. At the moment he won't
occupy himself with either of these
pleasantries, for Harris has become
hesitant in leaping to conclusions.
The elongated, bespectacled Mas
terson and the squat, good-natured
Monteagudo, both of whom appear
to have been standing in the sun
too long, have fjecked the wavy crop
OF Harris hair with more specks Of
gray this season, but they also have
served to crease his bronZed cheeks
in smiles on several occasions.
Masterson and Monteagudo must
be tabled as promising of the
sporadic flashes Of brilliance they
have displayed. In any given game
they're likely to unleash some Of
the most potent pitching of the
season, but on the next two times
out they may appear fortunate to
escape with their anatomy intact.
At 20 Masterson is rated q gilt
edged prospect. Still a child, in
baseball sense, his chief barrier to
success seems to be lack of control.
There Is no reason to suspect he
won't obtain 1t, for Walter has
caught on quickly in his two full
seasons with the Mats.
Neatly Tames White SOx.
There are times when Masterson
appears ready to become a steady
winner, but thus far he has failed to
be consistent. Recently in Chicago
he relieved Dutch Leonard in the
tenth inning, stepping into a situ-
alton which wasn't rosy.
The White Sox had what repre-
sented the tying run on first base,
nobody out and Taft Wright and
Luke Appling. brace Of baseballs
more feared hitters, due to appear
at the plate. Masterson calmly
famed Wright and forced Appling
to hit into an easy game lending
double play.
1t wasn't an accident. Masterson
has the stuff when he can get it
over. Earlier this season in Phila-
delphia he walked the first five men
to face him, forcing In two runs, and
then proceeded to spank the Ath-
letics on three hits.
Monteagudo, who whipped the Red
Sox on nine hits in his first major
league engagement, has revealed an
occasional tendency toward mound
mastery but also has been spotty. OF
the Latins Washington has owned
in recent seasons, though, Rene ap-
parently is the smartest and most
talented.
Leonard Faces Ostermueller.
There isn't much to do, of course,
except pause until the 1941 season
rolls around. Masterson is con-
vinced he'll approach peak form next
year and Monteagudo has shown
enough improvement to warrant
| hope. With Dutch Leonard, Sid
Hudson, Ken Chase, Masterson and
Monteagudo the Mats doubtless will
have the nucleus for one of their
finest pitching stats in years.
1t will be Leonard, Chase and
Hudson, in that order, that the Red
Sox will be forced to face in their
three-game series starting today at
Griffith Stadium. Leonard's foe for
today was to be Fritz Ostermueller,
always troublesome package for
Washington.
Meanwhile the Mats are mourning
the loss of GA decision to the
Athletics in 10 innings here yester-
day, the AS producing two runs in
the extra inning on Sam Chapman's
single and doubles by Bob johnson
and Dick Siebert.
Masterson started for the Mats
and bumped into considerable
trouble in the second inning when
he walked four men, but an error by
Catcher Rick Ferrell actually ac-
counted for both runs scored off
Walter that inning.
Ferrell's Heave Costly.
With men on second and first and
one out, Benny Mccoy worked
Masterson to a count of three balls.
The next pitch also was a ball, but
Ferrell, apparently thinking it was
strike, started a throw to third as
he saw the runners advance. He
then attempted to check the throw.
with the net result that the ball
caromed off the third base boxes,
allowing johnson and Wagner to
score.
Chapman accounted for the only
hit off Masterson when he blasted
his 17th homer of the season into the
left-field bleachers in the third to
give the AS 81 lead, Washington
having scored in the first inning