Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-29
Problem in ShortfieId
Bofhering BIuege;
Braves Banked
By JOHN b. KELLER.

Dy JoA4N Ii AGAAIANs
With three weeks of training gone,
Washington's Mats have convinced
observers they will have few pitch
ers, but some good ones, and that
they have a ball club that can 60
nine innings. Nothing else is set
tied. 49,,
The few exhibitions to date have
revealed that the Mats possess some
hill talent of value, but probably
not enough to make them a factor
in the fight for the American League
flag. The game at Georgetown Uni
versity field yesterday in which they
went to the final round for their
runs to score 2-to-0 victory over
Boston's Braves was proof they can
go a route.
But with Harlond Cliff and Gil
Torres still missing from camp, the
makeup of the infield remains un-
certain and the absence of Mike
Guerra and Rick Terrell, catchers,
confuses Manager Os Bluege. And
that with little more than two weeks
remaining before the championship
CdIlpdlSu SCdrUS.
Perhaps Cliff and Torres are out
OF the running for the third-base
job, for Hills Layne has been doing
remarkably well at the post. He GER
tainly has looked better than Torres
did there last season and it is diff
cult to believe that Cliff, after his
poor 1914 showing, will be so much
better this time that he can wrest
the job from Layne.
Infield Troubles Continue.
But there's still that matter of
Shortstop to care for and it could
be that Cliff will handle it. George
Myatt, while willing worker there,
never has been at home in shortf1eld
since joining the Mats. Wyatt came
up to the majors as a shortstop, out
he is far better at second base.
However, Bluege feels there must
be a place in the lineup for Fred
Vaughn because of his strength at
bat. Last year Vaughn showed he
can give an acceptable performance
at second base, but not at short
stop. Chuck Beihl, the youngster
yanked from West Virginia semipro
baseball, has done some fair fielding
at short, but still has to prove he has
good arm.
So the Mats are heading into the
final stage of their training with
the left side of their infield I'M
certain and Bluege in no position
to make any decision, at least before
another week. If Cliff joins the
squad before it plunges into it's
week of play in the Norfolk area
against the Fort Monroe and Naval
Training Station mines, a decision
might be made before the title sea-
son opens. But there is great pos
sibility that Bluege won't be able
to form a fairly permanent infield
until after the flag chase is under
way.
The Mats still need a lot of bat
ting practice, their game which
evened the Braves series at 2-all
showed. Only four hits were made
off the two Boston pitchers. The
first was an inf1eld rap by Pinch
Batter Beihl after one was out in
the sixth inning. 1t came off
Pitcher Johnny Hutchings, who
hadn't let Nat reach first until he
walked Vaughn with two gone in
the fifth.
Grab Game on Wallace.
But the Mats did better against
the left-handed Jimmy Wallace. A
pair of singles of him in the seventh
were wasted, but one between two
passes in the ninth helped get the
ball game.
George Case walked to open this
round, Wyatt sacrificed then Case
stole third. Walter Cripple dropped
a single in center for the first run,
George Binks walked and an error
put Joe Kuhel on to fill the sacks.
Here Vaughn lifted a long fly to
center and Cripple crossed after the
catch.
The Mats got some good pitching
from Roger Wolff, who went through
the first five rounds, and Dutch
Leonard. The Braves rang up eight
hits, but several were dribbles
through a rough infield and when
there were Braves on the runway
the Washington pitching frightened
properly.
Vaughn surprised everybody by
playing through the game, despite
his very sore and painful heel. :.
He insists on being in there daily,
ignoring the hurt. Francisco
Rodriguez, Cuban pitcher, has
been added to the Nat squad. :.
Nobody seems to know anything
about him. :. Eddie Butka took
day off to visit an i'll brother in
Baltimore. Arch Mcdonald is
expected to broadcast the Sunday
and holiday home games of the Mats
this year. Clark Griffith, Wash
ington club president, was to be
guest speaker of the Cosmopolitan
Club today. u. No game until Sat-
urday when the Fort Monroe team
will be met. :. The Mats leave to-
morrow night for the Norfolk area.