The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-17
GASHOUSE GANG SET FOR 5 GAME DODGER SERIES
Red SOx Have Won 9 Straight Rookie Pitch.
 CT Beats Giants
BY GEORGE KIRKsEY United Press Staff COrresponde

Unlted Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, June 17.-(UP)-Little drops of water wear away stone but 1t takes a long time. Gaining half a game a day, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Rcd Sox finally will catch the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, respective Major League pacemakers. But it's tedious and tiresome progress.
 The Cardinals, moving with ten- acity in pursuit of the champion Dodgers, have trimmed their Na- tioTlal League deficit down to 4 l-2 games In recent days, the closest they've been to Brooklyn since May 9. Enos Slaughter'S tenth inning homer--No. 5 for him--gave the Cards 4-3 victory over Carl Hub- bell and the Giants yesterday.
 The Cards are charging ahead with 8 purpose. After today's game with the Giants the tabocco-chew- ing, hard-running, dirty-uniformed gang from old St. Loo move into Flatbush for @ ding dong 5-game series in four days. Then and there, in Ebbets field, the Cards hope to get off their half-game diet and do some serious slashing at the Brook lyn lead.
 'HOt" Stuff
 The Red Sox have long way to go to see daylight but right now they are the hottest thing in the American League.
 Joe Cronin's outfit won its ninth straight game last night, opening the second western invasion with a neat 4-2 triumph over the St. Louis Browns most encouraging from the Red Sox standpoint Is the fact that T. W. o. Judd, the Canadian left handler, went the route, allowing only six hits and flaming ten. He is the seventh Red Sox hurler to go the route in the last nine games. With their tremendous punch. Noth- ing is beyond the Red Sox if they get consistent grade-A pitching.
 The Yankees split twin bill with the Tigers, losing the opener, 7-6, and winning the nightcap, 5-3. Thus the Yankee lead melted away to a fat nine games. True this is little to worry about. But at the same time the Red Sox spurt might keep the American League race out of the doldrulns. Last year the Indians had a 1-2 game lead early in the campaign and yet finished 26 games from the top. The Tanks haven't anything in common with the In- dians except that they each play nine men but the fans are hoping Tom Yawkey's club keeps coming. Certainly, he's been trying long enough and hard enough to get a winner.
 Jimmy Bloodworth,s homer with mate on in the sixth won the opener for the Tigers. Roy Hen- shaw, veteran southpaw, did a neat relief job to get credit for his first American League victory.
 Hank Borowy had a shutout until the sixth inning of the nightcap but in the end Johnny Murphy had to come to his rescue and throw a doubleplay ball with the bases lead- ed in the ninth.
 Reds Win Seven
 Johnny Wander Nicer allowed sev- en hits and walked seven men but was invincible with men on base to score his seventh victory as the Cin- ci1nati Reds beat the Boston Braves, 5-0. It was the Reds seventh straight win over the Braves, who dropped their 18th game in their last IS starts. Manager Bi Il Me- Kechnie of the Reds was absent be- cause of death in his family.
 The Phils broke nine-game los- ing streak as Johnny Podgajny held the Pirates to six hits in scoring a 5-1 victory. Mickey Iivingston's triple with two on was the big blow.
 The White SoX nosed out the Athletics, 2-1, in a night game at Chicago and moved into sixth place ahead of Philadelphia. "A walk to Kuhel in the ninth and Bob Ken- nedy's double broke up a pitchers duel between Orval Grove and Bob Harris before a crowd of 9,l80.
 YESTERDAYS STARR o okte Johnny Beazley, whose two hit re- lief pitching over g. five-inning stretch enabled the Cards to win a 10-inning decision over the Giants, 4-3.