Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-15
Spence Jo|ts Tigers
Hur|ers, but Mats
Fall 10 4th Spot
By Burton Howkins
Star Stoff Correspondent

DETROIT. June 15.-Stan Spence
is the Mats knight of the road. The
chunky centerfelder, removed from
the vast confines of Griffith Sta
dium. is an awesome sort of slugger
and this season the Detroit Tigers
are the victims OF his distance hit
ting.
Spence is having a year against
the Tigers reminiscent of his 1913
outbust against st. Louis. Then
Stan swatted 500 against the
Browns. He hit II home runs-10
against st. Louis and nine in st.
Louis.
In eight games against the Tigers
this season, Spence has compiled
.444 batting average. He has belted
seven home runs-four against the
Tigers and three in Detroit. Nine
Of his Is safeties against the Tigers,
in fact, have been spanked for extra
bases, what with Stan also seeking
four doubles and triple.
Saves Mats From Shutout.
A brace of successive home runs
by Spence, delivered in the first and
third innings with two out and none
on each time, gave the Mats their
only runs as they suffered a fifth
straight defeat, 60, and slumped
into fourth place here yesterday as
the Tigers slamed Mickey Heafner,
Ray Scarborough and Marine Pier
ETH for II hits.
Spence's .293 hitting bellies his
value to the Mats, who now are
happy Cleveland officials rejected
trade which would have dispatched
him to the Indians for Third Base
man Ken Keltner. Spence has
whacked across "a runs for the Mats
this season and is pacing Washing
ton in that department as we'll as
home run production.
When Spence rammed his first home
run yesterday, 1t ended string of
II straight singles by the Mats. The
line drive into the lower right-field
stands was duplicated in STAINS next
appearance against Virgil Trucks.
He flied out his third time up and
missed third home run by two feet
in the eighth inning, when his hoist
was blown foul, before taking a third
strike.
Tigers Win in Sixth.
That initial Spence blast gave the
Mats a briefly enjoyed 10 lead,
which vanished when Eddie Lake,
leading off for the Tigers, ham
mered q homer into the left-field
stands. Spence's second smash
staked the Mats to a 2-l margin,
but that evaporated in the sixth.
In that session Haefner was
nicked for single by Hank Green
berg, and he walked Roy Cullen
bine. Jimmy Bloodworth locked the
score with a single that scored
Greenberg. Bloodworth continued to
second on the throw to the plate
and Scarborough supplanted Haef-
ner. Ray promptly pitched single
to Birdie Tebbetts, which scored
Cullenbine and Bloodworth.
While Trucks was limiting the
NdLS 10 seven Mus ana striking out
10, the Tigers continued their at
tack on Pieretti in the eighth, scor-
ing twice as Greenberg tripled and
Cullenbine and Trucks singled.
Haefner was pitching instead of
Dutch Leonard, due to the fact that
Mickey will be given a day" by
Athens Ill) fans in St. Louis
week from tomorrow and Manager
Ossie Bluege rearranged his pitch
ing plans to permit Haefner to hurl
against the Browns then. Leonard
was to strive for his seventh straight
win over the Tigers today, but his
prospects of achieving it weren't
bright, for Detroit was to counter
with Hal Newhouser.