Evening star., 1945-07-23
Muff Another Chance
To Gain as Tribal
Twin Bill Is Split
Ry John B. KELLER

ming clip of 667 to show for their
last months play the Mats have to
be reckoned as pennant contenders,
But since thrusting themselves into
the flag race, they have muffed
every opportunity to climb whenever
the leading Detroit Tigers slipped
They kicked away a chance to
pick up ground when they dropped
two games to the champion st. Louis
Browns. They had Hal Newhouser,
the leaders ace pitcher, on the
ropes, but let him get away and lost
twice last Wednesday. The best
they could do with the Tigers was
split series.
Another opportunity to gain on
the pace-setters was passed up yes
terday as the Mats took a SO beat
ing from Cleveland's Indians in the
second game after bagging the first
in a fiery finish, Sd
In the opener, the Mats knew
they had to match a Tiger win
scored over the AS at Philadelphia
They came through nobly. And be-
fore the Mats went into the second
encounter, they knew that the
Tigers had been licked in the night
cap at Shibe Park and that another
win over Cleveland would leave
them just two games off the lead.
Bluege Has Pitching Problem.
But the Mats just did not have
it, so they still are 2h games away
from the Tigers and still have four
other rivals in the league right at
their heels.
Tonight at Griffith Stadium, the
Mats again are tackling the Indians,
this time in single encounter
starting at $50. But for the life of
him, Os Bluege could not say this
afternoon who he would send TO the
hill. His pitching staff is that badly
spent.
1t might be Johnny Niggeling,
who was driven from the box by
the Tribe in the second inning Sat-
urday. Or it might be Santiago
Ullrich, Bert Shepard or even Rojo
Roche, the latter youngster from
Cuba.
The Tribe will have on the slab Ed
Klieman, Highlander who took a
trimming the only time he started
against the Mats this season.
The real Washington story Of the
first game yesterday was set in the
last two innings. The Mats had
combed Steve Gromek for three runs
al the start, but Mickey Haefner,
after yielding only one tally in seven
innings, got in trouble in the eighth
and the Tribe went ahead. An in
field scratch, sound hit and hit
batter filled the sacks, then a long
fly and two punk hits sent the Tribe
ahead by run.
Haefner Wins His Game.
A double by Joe Zardon at the
start of the home eighth drove
Gromek out of action. Haefner
tapped the new pitcher, Allie Rey-
nolds, for a sacrifice. With George
Case at bat, zardon broke from
third, but pulled up sharply just as
Reynolds was about to pitch. Flus-
tered, the Indian hurler checked
his motion and rocked back off the
slab. Umpire Hal Weafer promptly
called balk and Zardon trotted in
with the tying run.
The Indians, in frenzy, leaped
at Weafer to protest with Manager
Lou Boudreau leading the mob
Soon all was tranquil again, but not
before Gromek was ordered from
the bench to the clubhouse.
Haefner came back to curb the
Tribe easily in the ninth, then won
his own game. George Binks' walk
and Zardon's bunt had two on with
two out when Haefner looped a hit
to left-center to bring in the big run.
The Mats gathered 13 hits in the
game with Binks getting three sin
giles, then a double in his first four
times up. In the second game, the
Mats got but seven hits off Jim
Bagby, one Cases Tooth of the sea-
son. Marino Pieretti gave almost
that many passes as he took beat
ing in seven innings.
Pieretti Not So Keen.
Four of those passes became runs
and one forced in a run in the sixth
when the Tribe crossed the plate
five times to break % tie. Pieretti
allowed just six hits, but he never
looked particularly good. To make
matters worse for him. George
Myatt and Fred Vaughn, who shared
the second basing for the Mats,
kicked in with an error each and
each misplay gave the Tribe two
tallies.
Washington's ball club was for
tunate to get in two games yester-
day and turn the receipts from 21,-
255 into its treasury. Prompt action
by the umpires in ordering the field
covered before a heavy downpour
that delayed play an hour and 81
minutes after the Indians had their
first turn at bat in the opener saved
everything.
Zardon aggravated an already
sore hand in the fourth inning OF
the second game and had to retire
but is expected to be on the job
again tonight. A lot of the other
Mats had better be on the job, too