Imperial Valley press., 1943-07-04
Cleveland Makes
Sharpest Gains
In Majors
By PAUL SCHEFFELS

NEW YORK, July fUP)-Sharp-
est improvement in the major
leagues today must be credited to
the Cleveland Indians who, under
the never say die 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
perennial tag-line of morning
glories.
The Indians, with Jeff Heath in
slump and Roy Cullenbine on the
injured list for a time, found their
big trouble at the plate. But spear
headed by the amazing Oris Hockett
they have surged into first place in
club batting and experienced de-
fensive uplift that put them into
third place in team fielding.
HURLING PROBLEM
Top problem for Boudreau on the
eve of the invasion of the eastern
junior league clubs was his pitch
ing, but that difficulty ironed itself
out somewhat when five mounds
men turned in full-time jobs in
seven games, including yesterdays
1910 shellacking of the New York
Yankees.
That lopsided triumph gave full
indication ,nf 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 IL. runs.
Russo was smaked for eight runs
and six hits by the first nine men
10 face him and Turner was tagged
for four more on as many blows.
Veteran Tommy Bridges of Detroit
handed out an assist to the Tribe
by beating the Red Sox, 80, to
slide the Bostonians into a fourth
place tie with the Tigers. Bridges,
in chalking up his fifth win and
first since June 49, allowed the Sox
only eight hits. Both runs off him
were unearned.
SENATOR'S ADVANCE
The Senators moved up to within
IL games of first place by shading
the White SoX. 30. in IL innings
Milo Candini, the leagues leading
pitcher, combined with Alex Car
rasquel 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 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,
5-3, while the runner-up Dodgers
slipped before the Reds, 30.
Harry Gumbert 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 Dodger
hits effectively as the Reds evened
the series with the Flatbushers. The
Reds jumped Kirby Higbe for three
runs in the first inning, two of
them on a passed ball by Mickey
Owen. They shelled Higbe from
the box and sewed up the game with
two more in the fourth.
CUBS WIN
The Cubs continued to win at the
expense of the Braves, downing the
Boston outfit for the eighth
straight time. I'll. Claude Passeau
matted the Braves with four hits,
one of them a lucky blow
Rip Sewell notched his 18th
triumph as Pittsburgh defeated the
Phillies, 2 = l. Coaker Tripletts
eighth inning homer spoiled
shutout 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 a threeyhit, 1910