Evening star., 1945-08-02
Must Battle Red Sox
With Slab Reserves;
Tie for Second
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

With the Mats again IN second
place, even though they are sharing
the spot with New York's Yankees,
Manager Os Bluege is Shooting the
works" in his pitching selections
for the windup of the series with
the AS.
Tonight. Mickey Haefner and Ma
rino Pieretti will take over the hill
against Connie Mack's minions and
their employment will leave nothing
more than the second-raters of the
Washington staff to face Boston s
Red Sox in the three double-headers
of a series opening tomorrow.
But after Dutch Leonard and
Roger Wolff bowled over the AS
last night for 81 and 80 wins to
get the Mats to within five games
of the leading Detroit Tigers,
Bluege sees a fine opportunity to
sweep the series with the Philadel-
phia club.
Maybe good record against the
AS will have us fired up for the
Red Sox," Bluege said today. "And
that, regardless of our pitching sit
uation. Anyway, we've got to win
games while we can and with the
AS going along as they have been
this looks like the time to get EN-"
Cleary Joins Club.
Joe Cleary, a 24-year-old pitcher,
was added to the Mats slab staff
yesterday. The tall, thin sandy
haired fellow pitched for the Chat
tanooga farm until mid-July and
has done some semipro hurting
around his New York home since,
so Bluege feels the newcomer may
prove of some help in this crisis.
Cleary has been in organized base
ball nearly four years. He bobbed
up at the Mats Florida training base
in 194I and Clark Griffith got the
youngster job with Orlando of the
Florida State League. Next year
he was with Charlotte in the Mats
chain, then spent most OF l943 in
Uncle Sans service.
With the Sd Division. he saw
action in Africa and Sicily before
being released because of battle IA
tigue. Last year Chattanooga had
Cleary and he remained with the
Lookouts until he voluntarily retired
last month to look after his i'll
mother. His As record with the
Lookouts shows 10 wins for S losses.
Griffs Back in Stride.
Coping those two games last
night, the Mats snapped out of a
two-game losing streak and ran to
six games the latest string of losses
for the AS.
For the first time in weeks, the
Mats got pair of fine pitching per-
formances. Leonard came up with
a seven-hitter with the AS waiting
until the last two innings to get five
of their hits and their run. Wolff
turned in a five-hitter with only
three runners passing first base and
but one reaching third. Neither
pitcher issued pass.
Leonard and Wolff have waxed
fat off the AS this year. For
Leonard it was the third straight
fourth straight.
The Mats won at the expense of
Jess Flores, who went the route in
the first game, and Bobo NeWsom,
who stopped after seven rounds in
the second to let Joe Berry finish.
Flores gave Leonard a fine battle,
for like his opponent he yielded but
seven safeties, and the lone pass he
issued was done so Intentionally.
But the Mats got eight hits and four
walks off Bobo and clustered three
hits with two of the walks in one
inning for the ball game
Myatt Takes Theft Lead.
1t was only the first beating given
Flores by the Mats this year, but
for Newsom it was the fifth defeat
in row by Washington. He has
finished only one game started
against the Mats and has yet to beat
them.
George Myatt blazed the way to
both wins and in the course of the
second set-to stole his 10th base
to pass George Case and become the
leading pilferer of the year.
Myatt doubled in the first inning
of the first game to score when Joe
Kuhel singled. He doubled again in
the sixth to be pushed up to third
base from where he rode home on
Harlond Cliffs long fly. The AS
found the plate in the eighth when
Ed Busch singled, moved up on a
passed ball and was sent in by
Pinch-Batter Fibber McGhee's hit.
In the third inning of the second
game, Myatt walked, then singles
by Buddy Lewis and Kuhel and a
double by Gift were good for two
runs. After an intentional pass to
George Binks filled the bases, Gil
Torres hit long one to the right
fielder and Kuel crossed with the
third run.
Tonight the AS are relying on the
pitching of Steve Gerkin and Lou
Knerr. Neither has an impressive
record.
FIRST GAME.
Phila. ABB. H. o. A. Wash. ABB. H. o. A.
PeeE,Tf. SsEP ] : . sseth aystt,2b ! 3 ) !