Evening star., 1943-06-24
Dodgers Hotter
Than. Ratinq,
Cards Find
Take Pair. Slice Lead
Of Beaten Champs;
Bosox Nose Out As
BY JUDSON BAILEY,
Associated Press sports Writer

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The world champion St. Louis
Cardinals are supposed to be the
only big league team in the big
leagues this year, in the frank opin-
ion of the best judges of baseball
talent, and this strangely enough
is paying high tribute to the Brook
lyn Dodgers.
The Cardinals are good; so good
that they can keep players like
Jimmy Brown and Johnny Hopp
and Danny Litwhiler lolling on the
bench. On the other hand the
Dodgers are old and doddering. with
doubtful pitching, a glaring infield
gap and confusing outfield.
Yet the standings today show that
this outfit of old-timers, of whom
only one regular is under 80 years
of age, is just half a game out of
first place in the National League
and harassing the Cardinals every
step of the way.
Currently they are on six-game
winning streak with five of these
victories coming at the expense of
the New York Giants, who lost both
ends of a double header yesterday
7-2 and 60, and stumbled into
the cellar.
Melton, Davis Shine on Slab.
In the first game Rube Melton
pitched five-hit ball and in the Sec
ond old Curt Daniel Boone) Davis
nearly treated the big weekday
turnout of 27,547 paying customers
to a no-hitter. going until two were
out in the eighth inning before an
other veteran, Dick Bartell, tagged
him for the Giants first hit. Davis
permitted another single IN the
ninth, but gave no walks.
The crowd, incidentally proved
the interest of fans in bargain base
ball, because the same teams drew
just 16,488 paid for single game
on Sunday.
The Cardinals were clipped by the
Cincinnati Reds, 8-3, with the st.
Louis ace, Mort Cooper, getting
charged with his fourth defeat after
being belted off the mound by
three-run fourth inning.
At Chicago the Cubs divided
double header with the Pittsburgh
Pirates to move out of last place for
the first time since early May.
Claude Passeau pitched flve-hitter
to win the first game, Al. but the
Pirates battled back to take the
nightcap, Us.
Braves Nip PhilS Twice.
The Boston Braves nosed out the
Philadelphia Phillies twice, 10 and
4-3, in a pair of air-tight pitching
struggles. In the opener Red Bar
rett gave five hits to four Boston
made off Newt Kimball, but a sim
gle and a double were combined in
the second inning for the games
lone run. AL Gerheauser and Al
Javery wrestled for II innings in the
afterpiece, with Chuck Workman
eventually breaking it up with
single.
The American League also pro-
duced some dazzling pitching, not
the least of which was in a night
game at Philadelphia as the Boston
Red Sox beat the AS, 10, on a
fourth inning home run by Leon
Culberson. Boston was held to four
hits by Rookie Don Black. while the
AS made five scattered singles off
Oscar Judd, who gave way to Mace
Brown for the final out in the
ninth. The contest was interrupted
for an hour and five minutes by a
practice blackout.
The New York Yankees and
Washington split a pair of shut
outs to remain two games apart at
the top of the standings.
Indians, Tigers Split.
Hal Newhouser of the Detroit
Tigers limited the Cleveland Indians
to five hits to win. 81. in the first
game of a double header and theE
Cleveland captured the second, 9-6
in II innings with two-run homer
by jeff Heath in the final frame
spelling victory.
The Chicago White SoX advanced
into sixth place by trimming the St.
Louis Browns, 4-3, with punched
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