The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-05-12
DODGERS OFF TO
 TACKLE HARDEST BASEBALL JOB
Cincinnati and St. Louis Await League Leaders;
 Ted Lyons Wins
BY GEORGE KTRKSEY Limited Press Staff Correspondent

ANVW VAA1 &NAUy AS WYE The Brooklyn Dodgers, whose spring spurt has baseball fans ga-ga from coast to coast as well as in E1atbush, were riding the rails to- day, heading to the west to carry their pennant drive right into the teeth of the world champion Cin- cinnati Reds and the slam-bang St. Louis Cardinals.
 The Reds and the Cards are the two the Dodgers have to lasso to protect their lease on first place in the National League. Thus far the Dodgers have outplayed every club In the majors, and currently have won 16 out of their last IS games. They have been so hot recently that 1t seems like ages since the Giants knocked them of three-in-a .row. Actually 1t was less than a month ago.
 Bidding 6he east farewell, yVS- terday, the Dodgers clipped the Phillies, 6-6, for their fifth straight Prior to the present streak the In their newest skein of successes Dodgers ran off nine in a row Kirby Highbe, Brooklyn's $i00,0o0 pitching beauty, copped his third victory by letting his old mates down with six blows. Jimmy Was. dells homer with mate on base off Si Johnson was the Dodgers winning punch. Brooklyn made all its six runs in one inning, four of starter Bill Crouch, Q former Dodg- CT.
 Runners-up
 The Cardinals snapped 6 3-game iosing streak W trimming the Pi- rates, 7-4, and kept their place two games back of the pace-setting Dodgers. Sam Nahem won his third game although he had to have re- lief from Ira Hutchinson in the last two frames.
 The Cubs won their first game of the season from the Reds, knocking out Johnny Wander Nicer and rolling up c Q to 1 triumph. Claude Passeau pitched his best game of the short season, allowing the champs only three singles. Cincinnati's defense was shaky as Frey, West and Young, subbing for Bill Werber who has water on the knee, made a1 CT. TOT apiece.
 Billy Jurgess and Burgess White head, the Giants keystone combina- ton, drove in three runs each as New York knocked off the Braves, S.S. Boston knocked Bob Bownina to cover with a three-rtin attack in the first but couldn't score on TO. iiefer CliH Melton.
 Cleveland got Q standof in . doubleheader with St. Louis, beat ing the Browns, 7.6, in the opener, but blowing the rightcap, 6.5, in 10 innings after holding e two-ur lead going in the last of the ninth. Horn- CTS by Trosky and Mack featured the TriEe's l3-hit attack which drove Auker to cover ia the open. CT. Tn the nightcap singles in the ninth, by Lucadello, Laabs, Cullen. bine and Estalella tied the score, and then Lucadello's triple and strange's single won the game in the 10th.
 Sweet Victory
 The Boston Red sox climbed to second place by humping the Yankees, 1895, behind Rookie Earl Johnson's seven Init pitching. Dom DiMaggio hit Q single, double and triple and Jim Tabor clouted @ homer with two on as the Red Sox slammed 1T hits off four Yankee twirAsrs.
 Ted Lyons won his (236th major league victory as the White Box triurnplled over the Tigers, 2-1. De- troit's only run resulted from Ned Harris' homer inside the park. Fresh scored the winning run in the ninth after Harris caught long foul fly despite the shouted warn- ings of his mates to let the ball drop.
 The Athletics won 6 l0-inning game from the Senators, l0-8, SCOT. ing the winning run on Buddy Lewis error on Chubby Deans easy roller. Then Wally Moses singled home another run.