Evening star., 1944-05-15
Bv JOHN Il. KELLER.


credit, the Mats appear to be
squared off for a'hot race, but they'll
need plenty to keep ahead of the
Cleveland Indians, their next foes,
from all reports out of the West.
The Tribe which opens a four
game set at Griffith Stadium to-
night is no pushover despite its
poor showing since it hit the East,
critics who have viewed it in action
declare. They rate it as fully capa-
BILE of making the Mats hustle for all
they may get.
Right of the reel, Manager Lou
Boudreau will send his 34-year-old
righthander, Mel Harder, at the
Mats. Perhaps the Tribes best bet
on the pitching hill, Harder on this
trip registered the 200th victory of
his major league career and seems
to be in fine fettle for such an old
timer.
Manager Os Bluege Is to counter
with another veteran, the 39-year-
old Johnny Niggeling, who has
knuckle-balled his way to two VIC
tories in four starts thus far and
has no defeat charged against him.
Why the Indians haven't done
better this season is something of a
mystery. They have a well-balanced
club on record and a group of pretty
good pitchers. There should be
power in their lineup. Yet they
have been losing consistently. The
Mats, though, are not underestimate
ing the Tribe. It has too much
potential kick to be snubbed.
Mats Nipped at Finish.
In fact, this year any club that
has been cuffed around Is apt to
rear up and kick its tormentor in
the face. Chicago's White Sox did
that yesterday just when the Mats
appeared to have series sweep as
sured. Surging in the ninth inning,
they brushed Early Wynn aside then
fell upon Pinch-Pitchers Milo Can
DIM and Bill Lefebvre to score four
runs and bag the game, to4.
This licking was somewhat sof-
tened for the 1876 in the stanus
by the sparkling 4-to-0 triumph
scored in the first game with Dutch
Leonard going a route for the
first time this season. In this en-
counter the Mats waited until their
last batting turn to get their tallies
of the venerable lefthander,
Thornton Lee.
Leonard got away with an odd
performance. In each of the first
six innings he was nicked for a
hit and in five of these innings the
first White Sox at bat hit safely.
Double-plays got Dutch off spots
in the third and fourth frames and
strikeouts twice eased him out of
bad situations.
&The seventh and last White Sox
hit came at the outset of the ninth.
1t was two-bagger by Jim Webb.
He couldn't advance and none of
the others who got on went beyond
second base.
Surge in Eighth Tells.
Lee vent along sparklingly for
seven rounds, allowing only four
hits, but he broke badly in the
eighth. One was out when Leon
ard and Jake Powell singled, then
George Myatt sacrificed. Bob Ortiz
singled two runs home, Stan Spence
walked and hits by Joe Kuhel and
Gil Toores put two more tallies
across.
In the second game, the Mats did
their scoring off Orval Grove. In
the third inning, Johnny Sullivan's
single, Roy Schalk's error and
Myatt's double offset a flrst-frame
score by the White Sox and Ortiz
rammed a homer to the angle back
of right-center to add two more
runs.
Wynn's double, Myatt's long fly and
wild pitch got the fourth Nat run
in the fifth and the White Sox ran
their total to two in the seventh
when Guy Outright doubled and
Tony Cuccinello singled.
Up to the ninth, Wynn had yield
ed seven hits, but Hal Trosky nicked
him at the start of the last round