Evening star., 1945-09-11
Grifs Seen 10 Need
300 Pace for Flag;
+SpIit With Chisox
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

OF any ball club, no matter how
game and how earnest it may be,
but unless the Mats maintain to the
finish of their schedule the pace
they have followed since opening
their final home stand last Wednes-
day night, there won't be any chance
OF championship.
Since coming back from their
Labor Day trip to Boston, the Mats
have moved along at soaring 800
clip-they have won eight games
and lost two-yet they still are a
full game behind the leading Detroit
Tigers and still show three more
losses than the top club.
With Roger Wolff, their 17-game
winner, on the hill this afternoon,
the Mats were hopeful of taking the
Chicago White Sox in the final game
of the year between the clubs. How
ever, the Sox were sending Ed
Lopat, left-hander, to the pitchers
box and left-handers have been no
help to the Washington club this
season
Even an 300 clip, which would
mean winning IL of their remain
ing IA games. would not help the
Mats should the three losses come
in the f1ve-game series with the
Tigers that opens here Saturday.
Blow Another Opportunity.
They simply can't afford to drop
more than three games to the finish
and dropping any one of those to
the Tigers would be disastrous to
the Washington cause. And there
Is no reason to expect Detroit
collapse along the line to aid the
Mats. The Tigers look we'll equip
ped to roar on through the last
day of the campaign.
1t is an awesome task the Mats
have before them, a task made
more awesome when for the fifth
time in the last two months they
blew a chance last night to pull
up to virtually even terms with the
Tigers.
Victory by 10 to over the White
Sox in the first tilt of their last
scheduled twilight-night double
header of the year lifted the Mats
to within a half a game of the
Tigers, who were held to an even
break by the Red Sox in Boston
yesterday.
But the Mats had neither the
pitching nor the punch in the sec
ond encounter and the gap be-
tween them and the Tigers again
was widened to one game as the
White Sox romped home 9-to-4
winners.
Loss of the second game also
kept two records from the Mats
Had they swept the twin bill they
would have established an Amer
lean League mark of IS wins OF
bargain bills in a season. And it
would have been their eighth win
in row, their longest victory streak
of the year.
Chisox Make Six Errors.
That first game win was almost
a gift from the White Sox. They
were guilty of six errors and not
one of the Washington runs was
earned However. the Mats had the
pleasure of routing an old jinx,
the lefthanded Thornton Lee, who
yielded four hits and two walks in
the opening round. These, mixed
with two of the Chicago misplays,
produced seven runs, the richest
inning of the year for the Wash
ington club.
OF Buck Ross, Highlander who
relieved Lee with two retired in the
first and went to the finish, the
Mats got seven hits = two walks and
three runs, all of the runs in the
fifth round when there were two
more errors.
1t was most enjoyable game to
Mike Guerra. The little Cuban
catcher helped himself to a triple
and two singles and was retired the
last time up only by Shortstop Cass
Michaels' catch of sizzling liner.
Dutch Leonard, his ailing shoulder
somewhat relieved, came back to
pitch to his 18th win. Given such
a healthy lead, Dutch did not over
exert himself. He allowed 10 hits
and walked two. But he also threw
10 strikeouts. He looked as though
ready to take his regular turn to
the end.
In the second game, the Mats ran
into Earl Caldwell and the ancient
highlander after stormy three
innings stopped them cold until the
ninth. He gave just six hits, three
OF those triples. In the second in
ming, Mike Kreevich, who had
tripled, and Rick Ferrell, who had
walked, pulled double steal as
Gil Torres struck out with Kree-
vich scoring.
Travis Hits at Last.
George Myatt's walk and his
steal of second, that made him the
American League leader with 2s
thefts, was backed by Buddy
Lewis triple and a wild throw by
the shortstop, who took the return
of Lewis hit. That got two more
runs.
There was nothing more for the
Mats until the ninth then Cecil
- AoNAo bCSdh Will LID III oU IllJ SlIlCc
rejoining the club. 1t was a triple
to the left field corner and Cece
crossed as Kreevich was thrown out
Marino Pieretti opened for the
Mats to yield nine hits and a walk
Five of the hits and the walk were
clustered in the fourth by the White
Sox for six runs. AL runs were
charged against Pieretti, although
hit off the relieving Santiago
Ullrich sent over one.
AL Carrasqdel hurled the next
three rounds and did all right until
after two were out in the seventh
Then came two singles and Mike
fresh was given an intentional
base filling pass. But Caldwell
singled across two more scores.
That brought in Walter Holborow
for the last two innings. The right.
handler, who had shut out the Rec
Soy in his oY,lv start 0f the eaSoy,