Evening star., 1943-06-26
Sagging Quartet
Breaking Down
Griffs' Attack
Leonard Also No Aid
Against AS, Foemen
Again Tonight

From the rear end of a machine
that has been purring along rather
smoothly, Manager Ossie Bluege to-
day detected a wheezy, sputtering
sound that might indicate his Wash
ington product is running out of
gas. From the lower portion of his
batting order Bluege Is obtaining
what amounts to no help.
Only recently Gerald Priddy
emerged from prolonged slump to
provide the Mats some punch, but
there's no guarantee he'll remain
consistent. Last night, for instance,
as the Mats dropped So decision to
Philadelphia before 14,500 fans at
Grifith Stadium, Priddy struck out
three times.
After Bob johnson has finished
swinging Bluege anticipates the in
nings when the top OF the Mats bat
ting order will lug lumber plateward,
for Jake Early, Ellis Clary and
Johnny Sullivan aren't giving Wash
ington any swatting support.
Top Hitters Get No Help.
Bluege has learned to expect
simultaneous protracted slumps from
one or two of his athletes, but Early,
Clary and Sullivan have plunged
into hitless era that Is threatening
TO choke the Mats hope of catching
the league-leading Yankees.
Early hasn't obtained a hit In his
last 81 attempts. He has batted a
damaging 045 in the Mats last
seven games, but he has company
Over the same span Clary has been
a .160 hitter, and Sullivan hasn't
amazed anybody with his Ill bat
ting.
Mickey Vernon and Bob johnson
currently are supplying the Mats the
bulk OF their hitting, but they'd ap-
preciate aid. That they aren't get
ting it is illustrated by the fact
that Priddy, Sullivan, Early, Clary
and the Mats pitchers have struck
out 27 times in Washington's last
seven games.
Pitcher Dutch Leonard also re-
mains somewhat of a mystery to
local fans, who have seen him win
only twice in eight local starts.
Dutch has contributed his pitching
on the road, never permitting more
than three runs in six starts in for
eign parks At Griffth Stadium,
though, the knuckle-ban specialist
hasn't been consistent.
raarawl Vz nuA - u~~n
Dutch has been whacked from the
mound six times here in eight starts
and last night his pitching was
pathetic. Leonard was clipped for
Is hits in seven innings by the
Athletics and the only reason the
score wasn't worse than So against
him when he left the premises was
due to Johnson's presence.
Elmer Valo greeted Leonard with
a home run to the center-field cor
ner. 1t was then that Johnson
made a brilliant stab of Jo-Jo
Whites liner after long run to rob
him of triple. In the fourth in
ming johnson streaked in to make
diving catch at Whites expense
then caught Valo off first base for
a double play.
Despite Johnson's heroics, Leonard
was doomed. Faster than johnson
saved him runs Dutch gave 'em
away. He gave up two runs in the
first inning, Eddie Mayo's single and
Dick Siebert's double faShioning a
run after Valo had homered, then
was clipped for two more runs In
the third as Bobby Estalella, Siebert
and Hal Wagner singled and Early
inserted a passed ball.
Mats Finish i'm Second.
The Mats picked up a run off Or
RE Arntzen in the first inning. when
Johnson singled after Stan Spence
and Vernon hao walked. They
locked the score at % in the sec
ond inning, when George Cases long
fly scored Clary from third, and
that, 1t developed, was their final
run.
White singled. stole second and
scored on Siebert'S single to present
the AS their fifth run in the sew
enth. Meanwhile, Arntzen was hav-
ing no trouble with the Mats. He
struck out nine and permitted only
six hits, while the AS got Is off
Leonard and Mickey Haefner.
Washington thus skidded two
and one-half games back of the
Yankees, who were struggling to a
2-2 tie with the Red Sox.
Jesse Flores, little Mexican rookie
who twice has trimmed the Mats
this season, will be dispatched to
the mound in an attempt to snatch
his ninth triumph when Washing
ton and Philadelphia tangle in an
other night game tonight at 2.a0