Evening star., 1944-03-29
Ortiz Now Is Certain
OF 0utfieId Berth;
Pitchers Sparkle
BY JOHN b. KELLER.


Washington's ball club is in the
market for q pinch-hitter today,
following the compulsory transfer Of
Outflelder Gene Moore to the ST..
Louis Browns, and neither President
Clark Grifith nor Manager Os
/ Bluege has the slightest idea Of
where to find one.
The shift of Moore to the st. Louis
club as part payment for Catcher
Rick Ferrell was forced upon the
Mats. The deal supposedly had been
closed when Angelo Giuliani, an
other catcher, had been moved to
the Browns rolls recently. But
Giuliani decided to retire from base
ball and yesterday the st. Louis club
demanded that Moore be given it or
Ferrell returned.
With Judge Lands, stern COM
missioner of baseball, backing the
Browns demand and Ferrell so
greatly needed here, Grinith had to
yield, SO the Mats are left on the spot
SO far as an emergency batter is
concerned.
While official statistics made Moore
only .268 hitter last year, the
figures fail to reveal his true worth
to the club. Employed at the plate
frequently in pinches, he ran up an
lamazing record with an average in
the neighborhood Of 800.
Best in Pinch Since Harris.
His value to the Mats in the 1943
campaign is seen in his runs-batted-
in figures. Although appearing in
less than two-thirds OF his clubs
games and playing through only a
few Of these he was able to shove 80
runs across the plate with his power,
mainly in pinches. Not since Dave
Harris, who was around here in the
early 30s, had the Mats possessed
such . handy batter in an emer-
gency.
Moores departure virtually assures
Bob Ortiz, Cuban purchased from
Montreal, an outfield berth along
with George Case and Stan Spence.
Ortiz was slugger Of parts for the
Royals in the international League
tussling last year and looks an i'm
proved fielder after several seasons
OF moving about since first brought
up to the Washington club in 1899.
With Bluege aiming to carry five
outflelders on his club the scrap for
the nth berth now appears wide
open. The fourth would 60 to Jake
Powell, veteran who got into some
games last season, but in line for
the fifth spot are Johnny Bucek
Walter Niche, Francisco Quientis
and Jose Zardon.
None OF this quartet has had ex-
perience in bigtime. Bucek comes
from the Detroit sandlots, Niche
was Long Island semipro and the
two others are products Of Cuban
winter leagues.
And it doesn't look As though
Biuege could get = pinch hitter
from the lot.
Venezuelan Hurlers Shine.
Venezuelan pitching stock jumped
remarkably yesterday A the Regu-
lars blanked the YannieanA s to o.
in the flYst fntrasquad eAme going
the regulation route. Al Carrasquel,
veteran Nat from Caracas, and
Santiago Ullrich, 4 Cuban ballplayer
OF Venezuelan extraction, did the
pitching for the Regulars and be-
tween them contrived to limit the
IYAnnigans to four hits. a
Carrasquel worked for five innings
with Fermin Guerra, understudy to
Catcher Ferrell. getting two OF the
three hits given up by the South
American. Ullrich, who had some
trouble with his control in the first
OF his four rounds. was found fol
a double by Milo Candini after two
were out In the seventh.
Dutch Leonard and Candini yield
ed a run each in three-inning tests
with the Yannigans and looked q,
well as could be expected at thi.
stage Of conditioning work. Bot
Albertson, though, took . pastine
In giving up six hits for three
ltallies.
1 George Myatt, Spence, Ortiz anc
Ferrell did most of the socking fol
the Regulars. Rogelio Valdes, little
Cuban catcher, hit 4 nifty single.
Weather permitting, another camr
tilt will be staged tomorrow.
Camp Lee to Pitch Nowak.
i Bis-league pitching will be facet
by the Mats when they tackle LUX,
Appling's Camp Lee team Sunday a
College Park. On the hill Tor tn.
soldiers at the start will r. HI
Nowak, big right-hander who for.
merly toiled for the st. Louis Ca.
dinals. The game will be a benefi
|for the Prince Georges County Rex
Cross.
Quientis had his left shoulder tha,
was dislocated last week examined
again yesterday. An X-ray revealed
no serious injury.
i In the seventh jnning yesterday, 9
bound from Pinch-Hitter Eddie
Butka's bat struck Hills Layne In
the mouth, but the third basemar
suffered only cut lip. He was back
on the job today.