Evening star., 1945-09-05
Grifs Battle Browns
lin Twin Bill 10 Start
|19-Game Home Stay
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

A 19-game stretch that will make
or break the Mats in the American
Leagues mad pennant scramble gets
under way tonight at Griffith Sta
dium as st. Louis Browns lead an
invasion of Western clubs that will
extend through 10 games-every one
of them crucial"
Going into the toughest test OF
the year 212 games back of the
leading Detroit Tigers and only ~
games ahead of the third-place
Browns, the Mats must pick up at
least five games on the other clubs
in the running for the champion
ship, or abandon any hope of
pennant
To do that. the Mats virtually
must sweep the seven-game set
with the Browns and the five-game
one with the Tigers that will end
the invasion by the West. And in
the meantime, they must turn back
Chicago's White Sox and Cleve-
lands Indians in the majority Of
eight games.
There's another item not to be
overlooked. Should the Mats man
age to take care of such an order,
the other clubs also must smack
over New York's Yankees right reg
ularly to make certain a flag for
Washington.
Six Double Bills Listed.
The last home stand opens with
a twilight-night double bill begin
ming at $50 this evening. There
will be another twin sketch to-
morrow night with singletons slated
Friday and Saturday.
In all, there are six double head
ers listed with the Western clubs
during the l3-day stretch of the
home stand and the abundance Of
such shows easily could throw the
Mats out Of the race. For above all,
the Mats are somewhat short on
pitching.
Tonight. Manager Os Bluege will
send Mickey Haefner against the
Browns in probably the first game.
For the other game. it will be either
Johnny Niggeling or Ally Carrasquel.
But for the life of him, Bluege today
was not able to announce who will
do the slab starting in tomorrow
nights double-header. Washington
pitching is that much of problem.
The Browns are expected to toss
Tex Shirley at the Mats in one con-
test this evening. In the other, Nell
son Potter or Al Hollingsworth may
go. There Is one thing certain. The
mats will see Hollingsworth and We'll
don West sometime in the series.
Both are lefthanders and lefthand-
ers, it seems. can be banked on to
beat the Washington outfit.
Benches Best Hitters.
Bluege has been endeavoring to
diminish this tendency of the Mats
to drop down and play dead against
southpaw pitching by inserting as
many righthanded batters as possible
into his lineup. BY doing this. he has
to bench hitters with higher aver
ages than those taking over.
Hills Layne, who has been play
ing a fine game at third base;
George Myatt, second baseman, and
George Binks, the Mats strongest
scoring punch, give way to Harlond
Cliff. Fred Vaughn and Mike Kree-
vich when the southpaw slabmen
oppose Bluege's band Kreevich
contributes to the Mats punch, but
neither of the others has been par
ticularly effective at bat recently.
Watching the Browns in action
tonight will be their new owner and
president, Richard Muckerman. The
nationally known refrigeration ex-
pert will accompany his club
through its Eastern swing.
! Also attending the game will be
% Purple Heart veterans from mill
tary hospitals of the Washington
area, They will be guests of the
National Association of Cost Ac-
countantS