Evening star., 1941-05-06
Failure Of Mats
Hard Blow 10
Their Bosses
Harris Griff's Hopes
Of Fair Season Fade
As Experiments Flop
By BURTON HAWKINS,
Star Staff Correspondent.

three weeks of patient but painful
which has served
only to heap disappointment atop
failure, the Nationals are resen1-
bling a team which won't fulfill
anv of its long shot preseason
promise. The club is a reasonable
enough facsimile of low second
division outfit
Washington is a team that rapidly
is proving a bitter disappointment
10 President Clark Griffith and
Manager Bucky Harris, who had
vjsioned in the l94l Mats collec-
ton capable of playing at a 500
clip and perhaps wedging its way
into the first division.
False hope was encouraged by the
clubs gratifying spring exhibition
record. Washingtons starting
pitchers-Dutch Leonard, Sid Hud-
son. Ken Chase Walter Mssterson
and Steve Sundra-Were deemed
adequate enough TO offset what the
team lacked in power Here, felt
Griffith and Harris. was team that
would win many close games on the
strength of steady pitching.
Washington's pitching, though,
hasn't responded to the loads Of
promissory notes written about it.
Only Sundra has been able TO win
more than one game and, while
others have been brilliant at times,
consistency has been missing.
New Combinations Flop.
Left Fielder Ben Chapman was
branded the first failure when
Johnny Welaj was sent in to re-
place him. Welai Second Baseman
Jimmy Bloodworth and First Base
man George Archie since have been
reduced to part-time employment
by Harris, who elects to use Second
Baseman Buddy Mver. Outfelder
Sammy West and First Baseman
Jimmy Vernon against right-hand
pitching.
With the exception of Vernon's
hitting there hasn't been much en-
couragement for Harris in his eX-
periments He has tried virtually
everything at this early stage and
still the club continues TO lose.
George Case, usually strong
spring hitter. has been benched in
the midst of a woeful slump and
the only heartening items for Buckv
to contemplate are the hitting OF
Cecil Travis and the fine play OF
Rick Ferreu, Doc Cramer and the
previously mentioned Vernon.
Buddy Lewis, shifted back to
third base after a season of romp-
ing after doubles and triples in the
outield. is continuing to toss away
games with his Scattery arm. He
threw the Mats out of contention
here yesterday as Bob Feller checked
Washington with three hits and
famed II to take a 81 decision.
Lewis Poor Throw Hurts.
The Mats were locked at IL with
the, Indians entering the last half
of the ninth. Ken Chase. who had
pitched a superb game, issued his
first walk OF the tilt to Lou Bou-
dreau to start the inning. but when
Hal TroSky bunted strongly down
the third base line. the Mats had
an easy force play at second base.
Lewis. though, pulled Travis off
the bag with a wide throw and
Chase was in the predicament of
having two men on and nobody out.
Jeff Heath sacrificed and Beau Bell
was purposely passed to set the
stage for a possible double play.
Chase then threatened to walk home
the winning run, pitching three
wide ones to Rollie Hemsley, but
finally worked the count to 3-and-2
before Hemsley laShed a lengthy
single to left to score Boudreau.
Cramer, who nicked Feller for two
of Washington hits, paved the
route to the Mats only run in the
third, when he bounced a double off
the right field wall. He scooted to
third after Vernon flied out and,
after Lewis famed, scored as Third
Baseman Keltner fumbled Travis
grounder. Boudreau tied the score
with a homer leading off In the
seventh, and that completed scoring
until the fatal ninth.
Travis Streak Stopped.
Travis. incidentally saw his l2-
game hitting streak clipped by Fell
Ter, who also sliced Cecil's batting
average to 492. When Travis
watched third strike whiz by IN
the second inning. it marked the
first time this season he had struck
out
Tomorrow the Mats will attempt to
exercise their spring ink over the
Tigers at Detroit, with Sid Hudson
slated to hurl the first of a two-game
series. Hudson, whose right thumb
has been bothering him, will have it
X-rayed when the team returns to
Washington. The thumb swelled
badly Sunday, when Sid pitched a
few moments of batting practice,
and chipped bone was feared. The
swelling subsidized yesterday and Sid
now feels it merely is a jammed