Evening star., 1944-05-22
Griffs, Heading West
May Be Helped by
Shift Of Scenery
By JOHN B, KELLER.

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a i5-game invasion of that sector
and five games will be played
against the Athletics at Philadel-
phia before Os Bluege's charges
show here again on June IL. This
perhaps is just as we'll in view of
what the Mats have and haven't
done here recently.
If a change of scenery could help,
the Mats need it. At Griffith Sta
dium, the going began to get plenty
tough for them as long as nine days
ago when Chicago's White Sox
tripped them in the second game
of doubleheader. The way became
rougher until yesterday Detroit's
Tigers knocked them off in both
ends of twin bill, 81 and I'll, to
make it four in a row over the skid
ding crew.
That the Washington club isn't
worse off than third in the stand
ings after the Sunday setback is
because 1t couldn't drop any far
ther
From that defeat by the White
SoX on the Mats have lost six of
nine games. The club that looked
so good before this series of reverses
began seemed quite demoralized in
the Detroit set and unless it pulls
itself together quickly its immediate
outlook is none too pleasant.
Mats Sorely Need Kuhel.
Skipper Bluege is hopeful his
regular first baseman, Joe Kuhel,
will be able to return to the lineup
for the series with the Indians
opening in Cleveland Wednesday
The Mats managed to get along
fairly well with George Case, their
regular left fielder, out of action
and Rick Ferrell, veteran catcher
idle, but when Kuhel went out of
the picture as the Tigers moved into
Washington the bottom dropped
out of the outfit.
With Eddie Butka, second string
er, at the initial sack, the entire
infield suffered severe case of jit-
ters and even yesterdays revised
lineup that moved Gil Torres to
first base and sent Hills Layne to
third was little help. It appears
that without the steadying influence
of Kuhel in the inner Gordon the
Mats are not even an average ball
club.
To add to their woes, the Mats
haven't been able to get much out
of their pitchers lately and about
everybody on the club has forgotten
what to do at the plate. In their
last SO innings, the Mats have sent
only five runs over.
Higgins Punch Tells.
Outside of Johnny Niggeling's
pitching in the first game they had
little to offer yesterday. Niggeling
gave the Tigers just eight hits and
that was what the Mats got off Dizzy
Trout. Twice, however, the Tigers
punched two blows off Niggeling
and each time they produced tally
Once Eddie Mayo was hit by a
pitched ball and once he doubled to
blaze the way to the scores. Pinky
Higgins with singles knocked over
both.
George Myatt's walk. hit by
Jake Powell and Stan Spence's
drive into force-play accounted
for the Mats run. They might have
had a chance to tie in the ninth
when they got two hits and a pass
but Mike Guerra, who made the
first hit, was caught for the second
out when trying to steal so the single
by Pinch-batter Bill Lefebvre only
sent the walking Johnny Sullivan to
third before Case lined out.
The second game was over in the
first inning when the Tigers fell
upon Roger Wolff for five hits and
four runs before he could get the
third out Milo Candini finished
the round and pitched on through
the eighth in which Rudy York
homered into the left field open
stand for the second run off the re-
lever. Two hits off Early Wynn
were mixed in tally in the ninth
Newhouser Is Battling.
All told the Tigers collected IS hits
off the three Washington pitchers
Off the left-handed Hal Newhousel
the Mats got five and picked up theil
lone score in the fourth inning with
out safety. Myatt was hit, moved
to third as Joe Hoover kicked
Powell's grounder and counted az
Torres was thrown out
It was a sad afternoon for the
1875 fans at hand.
In the second game, the Tiger!
scored on Wolff's first two pitches
Cramer doubled to right and Hoover
hit a two-baser to left.
I Two Nat cripples got back into
action. Case returned to the out.
field, but like the other Mats wa.
weak at bat. He got one hit for nine
tries. Ferrell caught eight inning.
lof the first tilt before giving way
to Pinch-runner Guerra after sing
ling in the ninth.
Spence, after going to bat five
times for nothing in the two games
gave way to Ortiz in the Mats fourth
batting turn in the second setto
Ortiz got one hit for a 500 day
Spence in his last 35 times at bal
had made five hits for .143.
1t was a pleasant visit for the
Tigers. They came here in last place
and left in the fourth spot.
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