Evening star., 1941-04-18
Cards S|ugging
Tells in Sweep
Of Red Series
Champs Are Blasted
By st. Louis Power;
Gomez Trips As
BY JUDSON BAILEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

A few weeks ago, when everybody
was guessing and second guessing
baSebals pennant prospects. some
of the experts proclaimed that if
the St. Louis Cardinals Jumped of
to a fast start they would run away
with the National League race.
Well, the Redbirds are away like
a rocket.
They have just won three con-
secutive games from the world
champion Cincinnati Reds and
there is no telling where or when
they will stop. 1t might be today,
but it wasn't yesterday.
The two Western rivals put on a
Wild West sideshow, with 18 players
taking part for each side, and the
Cardinals came out by 7-6 margin.
The superior power of st. Louis
was irresistible, as it may be
throughout the year, and when the
Cardinals came up to the seventh
trailing Al, they solved the PROP
lem simply enough by having Jar
rim Johnny MiZe hit home run
with two on and Ernie Koy an
other with the bases empty. After
the Reds went ahead again with
two runs in their half of the in
ming the Cardinals clincled the de-
ciSion in the ninth
Cards Outslug Reds.
The Cards collected 13 hits to 9
obtained by the Reds. The champs
never would have been in the pic
ture except for Harry Craft, who
had struck out four times Wednes-
day. Yesterday he hit four times
homer, two doubles and a single
good for five runs.
Brooklyn's unpredictable Dodgers,
rated right along with the Reds and
Cardinals as flag threats. also abb
sorbed their third straight lacing
from the New York Giants, rs. in
a sandlot show of 26 hits and 4
errors. 1t was a see-saW game, with
the Dodgers having a little the
better of it until the Giants got TO
Curt Davis for two runs in the sew
enth and another in the eighth on
Gabby Hartnetts pinsh double.
The Pittsburgh Pirates plastered
7-2 count on the Chicago Cubs
behind the two-hit hurting of Truett
(Rip) Sewell, who could have coast
ed after Vince Di Maggie hit a
home run with the bases loaded In
the first inning. One of the blows
off Sewell was homer by Rookie
Lou Novikoff.
Bees Say It With Homers.
The Boston Bees bumped off the
Phillies, rs, with a home-run at
tack that would have made the
weak hitters who used to inhabit
the Beehive squirm. Max West hit
a homer with one on in the third.
In the eighth. with the Bees trailing,
5-4. Babe Dahlgren, the former
Yankee, slapped a round-tripper
with one on and, finally, Relief
Pitcher Yves Ferreu drove out a
homer in the ninth and took credit
for the victory.
Al Smith. southpaw castoff of the
National League, shut out the Chi
cago White SoX, 20, for the Cleve-
land Indians right on the heels of
Al Milnar's tWo-hit shutout of the
day before. Smith allowed six hits.
while his teammates punched two
pairs out of the seven they got off
Lefty Thornton Lee.
Joe Mccarthy shook up his New
York Yankee lineup and got a ga
victory over the Philadelphia Ath-
letlcS that was cheering mostly be-
cause Lefty Gomez went the route
for the first time in more than
year. He looked his old free and
easy self in parceling out seven hits
and never was in danger after a
combination of five hits and three
errors gave the Yanks seven. runs
in the fourth Charley Keller COL
lected four hits, including a homer.