Evening star., 1945-08-20
Center, With Six Wins
In Row, and Gromek
Are Big Barriers
BY JOHN b. KELLER,
Star Staff Correspondent.

CLEVELAND, Aug. 20.-After six
days in the sunlight the Mats go
back to night baseball tonight in
two games scheduled with Cleve-
lands unpredictable Indians, and
what pressure there is in the
tussling will be on the Washington
club.
While the Mats lost no ground
to the fleague-leading Detroit
Tigers yesterday in splitting the
twin bill that opened seven-game
series here, that go shellacking they
took in the second set-to after lick
ing the Tribe, to l, left them
badly shaken and with upset pitch
ing plans.
Manager Os Bluege had hoped to
start AL Carrasquel and Marino
Pieretti against the Tribe tonight.
But Carrasquel had to be pressed
into service in the clubs losing
game yesterday, so Walter Holborow
may share the slab work with
Pieretti.
There is no uncertainty in Man
ager Lou Boudreau's plans for the
Cleveland pitching. He is going to
shoot with Pete Center, who has
reeled off six wins in a row, and
Steve Gromek, a rugged right
handler with 15-6 record.
AS Big Help to Griffs.
Washington's pennant hopefuls
are rather fortunate that their Sec
ond-place rating today still has
them only game and half off the
lead. The big surprise of the Sun
day tussling in the circuit
came when Philadelphia Athletics
snapped a seven-game losing string
at the Tigers expense in the sec
ond game in Detroit. The overtime
triumph by the AS helped soothe
the feeling of the Mats, who al
ready had been well walloped by
the Indians in the last part of the
double header here.
1t also kept the Mats from sink
ing to two and one-half games be-
hind the pace-setters.
Despite that they lost no ground,
the beating hurt the Mats, for it
eliminated Dutch Leonard, their
pitching ace, from further consid-
Grafton in this series. which still
has pretty far to go. When Leonard
and Johnny Niggeling were NOM
mated for yesterdays pitching
there was some reasonable doubt as
to Niggeling's game, but Leonards
game was figured in the bag"
Niggeling pitched himself out of
four difficult spots IN the first game
to grab it for the Mats, while in
the second Leonard, after getting
out of one desperate situation, fell
to pieces in another to take a solid
beating.
Niggeling Proves Game.
Niggeling staggered, but beat his
own nerves as well as those of the
Indians to score his sixth triumph
of the season. Leonard, after win
ming IA games this year, when in a
pinch could not fight off a stagger-
ing opponent as he went down to
his fifth defeat.
In the opener the Mats downed
the left-handed AL Smith. They
got 10 hits and all their runs of
him in the eight innings he toiled,
then picked up another hit off Jack
Salveson. George Myatt, Mike Kree-
vich and Joe Kuhel collected seven
of the hits.
The Mats won in the fourth frame
when they punched six safeties and
a pass with two Cleveland misplays
for six runs. Myatt, Lewis and
kuhel singled after one was outtand
Cliff doubled. An intentional pass
to Binks filled the sacks. Third
Baseman Wheeler muffed a foul
from Ferrell for an error than Sec
ond Baseman Meyer picked up Fer
rell's double-play bounce and threw
wildly by the middle station, let
ting Kuhel and Cliff score and
Binks reach third. Binks scored on
Torrfs' bunted hit and Kreevich's
single sent Ferrel home.
Niggeling allowed eight hits and
gave five passes. Two of the passes
backed single in the sixth and the
Indians counted as Hayes drilled
into a force-out.
Leonard and Allie Reynolds were
rivals at the outset of the second
game that for five innings was a
torrid duel. Over that span, Leonard
allowed one hit and two passes. In
the fourth, an error by Myatt, an
intentional pass and hit filled the
bases with two out. Leonard pitched
three wide ones to Seerey, then
struck his out
Griffs Hitless Until Sixth.