The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-09-21
TIGERS AND WASHINGTON |'BACKING' IN
By CARL LUNDQUIsT United Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, Sept. 21-(UP)-The turtle derby" for the American league pennant lacked only the strains of slow music today with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators funeral-marching along as if to their doom instead of to the fat money payof of the world series.
 The bedraggled ball clubs, find-, ing it hard to regain the sizzling pace that made them contenders in the first place, were doing 8 fine job of backing into the pennant after their "all-out' series at Washington over the weekend.
 The Senators looked like mine old men" in losing their fifth straight game at Yankee Stadium to New York, to 1, yesterday, playing with their eyes on the scoreboard to see whether the Tigers were faring any better at Cleveland.
 They weren't. The Indians made it two straight over Detroit, also by a to score. All of their runs came along with deluge of rain in the eighth inning.
 Combination
 The Tigers salvaged more out of their defeat than the Senators, be- cause they now can clinch the pen- nant on any combination of five victories or defeats. They need to win five of their six remaining games to take the flag if Washing ton wins all of its four contests Each Washington defeat makes 1t necessary for Detroit to win one less game.
 The Cardinals frightened up the National league race again as Harry Brecheen pitched 2 to o, six-hit shutout over the Cubs for his sixth straight victory. That reduced Chi cago's lead to two games with eight more for each team to play.
 The Cards made three of their 10 hits off Ray Prim in the first inning to take too lead. Ray Sanders drove in Buster Adams with a scratch single. Three more singles in the seventh produceod the other tally with Al Schoendienst scoring Marty Marion. The Cubs threatened in the ninth, but were stopped. After Johnny Hopp in right made a great backhand catch of Harry Lowrey's bid for long hit, Phil Cavarretta doubled and Andy Pafko singled him to third. Then the peerless Marion at short swooped over to grab hot ground CT through second and turned 1t into a double play to end the Cub threat.
 Niggeling
 Senator Manager Ossie Bluege, who thinks the Mats will win the flag because T don't believe De- troit can win any more ball games" said he would go today with John Niggelng, although ace knuckle- baller Roger Wolff is rested and ready and has beaten New York three times.
 The Yankees scored twice of Nat starter Mickey Haefner in the first. George Stirnweiss doubled, went to third on a sacrifice and scored on long fly. Hershel Martin, who had walked and gone to second on the fly, scored on Nick Etten's single. StirnweisS added another run with third-inning homer to counter a tally by Washington on a walk to George Case and singled by Buddy Lewis and Mike Kreevich. After than Joe Page, the Yankee lefty, closed the scoring gate on the list less Capitolians, although he had men on base in every inning.
 Three Errors
 Alton Benton, going into the eighth with 1 to 0 lead for the Tigers saw 1t blow up in his face when his mates made three errors behind him. Lambert (Dutch) Meyer, with two singles in the in- ming, scored one run and drove in another to lead the SiX-hjt Cleve- land assault on Benton and the "ever-ready" Paul Dizzy) Trout, who relieved him. Mickey Rocco, with a double, and Don Ross, Frankie Hayes, and pitcher Allie Reynolds got the other Cleveland hits.
 Rain delayed the inning nearly an hour and the Tigers were unable to accomplish anything in their final time at bat in the ninth.
 The Tigers have an open date today to rest their pitchers before opening against the Brownies at Detroit Saturday.
 The Boston Braves defeated the Dodgers at Brooklyn, 3 to ?, in the National with Bob Logan outpitch- ing Hal Gregg while Randy Hefiin of the Red Sox shut out the Ath- letics at Boston, 3 to 0, in the Amer ican.