The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-07-03
INDIANS CLIMB
BACK TO Third
IN STANDING
In This Corner
BY PAUL SCHEFFELS

New York, July 3-(UP)-Sharp-
est improvement in the Major
Leagues today must be credited to
the Cleveland Indians who, under
the never-say- leadership of
laughing Lou Boudreau, were back
in third place in the American
League under the momentum of an
unusual mid-season drive.
A mid-season drive in Cleveland
must be clasSed as unusual for
that's the time the tribe usually
folds up and plays true to its peren-
NAL tag-line of morning glories.
The Indians, with Jeff Heath in
slump and Roy Cullenbine on the
injured list for time, found their
big trouble at the plate. But
spearheaded by the amazing Oris
Hockett they have surged into first
place in club batting and expert
enced a defensive uplift that put
them into third place in team
fielding.
Top problem for Boudreau on the
eve of the invasion of the eastern
junior league clubs was his pitch
ing, but that difficulty ironed it
self out somewhat when five
moundsmen turned in fulltime jobs
in seven games, including yester-
days 1910 shellacking of the New
York Yankees.
That lopsided triumph gave full
indication of the hitting and pitch
ing renaissance enjoyed by the
Tribe. Rookie Allie Reynolds stop
ped the Yankees cold with three
hits while his mates clicked off II
blows against Marius Russo and
Jim Turner. The Indians turned
on their most devastating SINGLE
inning surge Of the year in the
fourth. racking up II runs,
Russo was smacked for eight runs
and six hits by the first nine men
to face him and Turner was tagged
for four more on as many blows
Veteran Tommy Bridges of De-
troit handed out an assist to the
Tribe by beating the Red SoX, 80,
to slide the Bostonians into a
fourth-p place tie with the Tigers.
Bridges, in chalking up his fifth
win and first since June 10, allowed
the Sox only eight hits. Both runs
off him were nuearned.
The Senators moved up to with
in l 10 games of first place by
shading the White Sox, 80. in II
innings. Milo Candini the leagues
leading pitcher, combined with Alex
Carrasquel and Jim Mertz to hold
Chicago to four hits. The trio also
ended the hitting streak of Chicago
Outfielder Guy Cartwright at 26
games.
st. Louis Browns made eight hits
good for as many runs and, al
though they committed four errors,
nipped the Athletics, 81. The AS
held a IA handicap going into the
last Of the ninth but the Browns
belted out four runs in their half
to win
In the National League, the st.
Louis Cardinals ran their margin
to one game by whipping the Giants
So, while the runner-up Dodgers
slipped before the Reds, 80.
Harry Gumpert held the Giants
to five hits, allowing only one
scratch safety until Manager Mel
OFT poked a two-run homer in the
seventh. The Cards clipped Carl
Hubbel for four runs in six innings
to hand him his second loss of the
year
Elmer Riddle spread seven Dodg-
er hits effectively as the Reds even
ed the series whit the Flatbushers.
The Reds jumped Kirby Higbe for
three runs in the first inning, two
of them on passed ball by Mickey
Owen. They shelled Higbe from
the box and sewed up the game
with two more in the fourth.
The Cubs continued to win at
the expense of the Braves, down.
ing the Boston outfit for the eighth
straight time, II. Claude Passeau
halted the Braves with four hits,
one of them lucky blow.
Rip Sewell notchcd his 18th
triumph as Pittsburgh defeated the
Phillies, 81. Coaker Triplett's
eighth inning homer spoiled a shut
out as Jim Russell sent home the
winning run for Pittsburgh in the
eighth with long fly.
Yesterdays Star-Rookie Allie
Reynolds, who pitched Cleveland
into third place in the American
League with three hit, 1910 tri-
umph over the Yankees.