Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-03-14
Garden Squad Sliced
10 ; as Jeff Injuries
Leg After Homering
By Burton Hawkins
Star stoH Correspondent

HAVANA, Mar. 1.-THE crippled
condition Of the Washington club
indicates the Mats may be no SEN
sations in spring training, but Man
ager Ossie Bluege Is regarding the
silver side Of the cloud and hoping
the team is getting all ailments out
OF its system before the season
starts.
Bluege suddenly finds his squad
loaded with incapacitated players,
with Jeff Heath the most damaged.
Je1 suffered muscle spasm after
swatting home run yesterday as
the Mats spanked the Cuban ALI
Stars, 1876, and will be out of action
for an indefinite period.
Trainer Mike Martin isn't hazard
ing an estimate Of Heath's idleness,
but says 1t will be at least five days
and probably more. JEFF, after belt
ing flrst-inning homer with Buddy
Lewis on base, barely was able to
limp around the bases. His right
calf swelled rapidly.
Many Mats Nursing Hurts.
His ailment leaves the Mats with
only three outfielders to play the
remaining three games here. Wash
ington's A team also Is short of in
fielders, for Second Baseman Gerry
Priddy has an aching leg that re-
quires rest. The Mats brought along
no extra inflelders, however, so
Gerry is forced to remain in the
lineup and punish his leg.
Virtually every Washington player
here Is complaining of aching legs
due to the concrete-like infield. The
Mats have been set back at least
two weeks in training here and it's
q gilt-edged cinch they won't be re-
turning.
Catcher Jake Early has been dis
patched to Orlando (Fla.) training
headquarters, which leaves the Mats
with a mediocre catching choice
culled from whatever Cuba can offer,
and this Is not much. For example,
Rogelio Valdes permitted a pop fly
to drop within 2 feet Of home plate
yesterday without ever seeing it.
From Orlando, Bluege is getting
diSquieting reports. He hears that
Outfelder Gil Coan is nursing Bills
tered feet, Outfielder Ray Goolsby is
down with influenza and Infielder
George Wyatt is handicapped with
a twisted ankle.
Since Goolsby and Coan are the
two best rockies ever to invade a
Washington training camp in one
season and Wyatt is in the midst of
a battle for the third base Job,
Washington's training thus far
amounts to little. The Mats A team
continues to have little difficulty in
disposing Of the Cuban All-Stars,
however.
Mats Bat Well, Pitch Poorly.
Heath's homer with Lewis on In
the first inning yesterday touched
OF a 16-hit attack, with Lewis con-
tributing triple and three singles.
Bruce Campbell, who replaced
Heath; Priddy and Valdes each
contributed two hits.
Washington's pitching was unim-
presSive with Walter Masterson and
Max Wilson giving up 10 hits.
Operating against both clubs is
the fact that glorified golf ball is
being used in games here. It's
smaller and Ivelier ball than the
one used in the United States and
1t isn't helping the Mats pitchers.
The Mats accumulated 10 runs In
the first four innings and coasted
to an easy victory, despite the in
effective hurting of Masterson and
Wilson. Masterson yielded seven
hits in five innings, while Wilson
ran the Cubans' total to 10 In the
four innings he labored.
With Mickey Haefner and Bert
Shepard on the mound, Washington
was to face the All-Stars again to-
day. The Mats will be idle tomor-
row, but will meet the Cubans Sat-
urday and Sunday before returning
to Miami to face the Phillies Mon
dov