Evening star., 1946-05-13
Griff Ready 10 Trade
Sian; Nigge|ing Gets
Split With Macks
By Burton Howkins
Stor Stoff Correspondent

WV S'S" NS'SsPoHoShi
DETROIT, May 13.-Comforting
to the Mats pitchers these days is
the presence of Mickey Vernon and
Stan Spence in Washington's bat
ting order. They're supplying the
punch and it's spiked with extra
base blows.
Spence may be batting himself
off the Washington ball club with
his recent hammering of the
leagues pitchers The left-hand
swinger was slated to be traded to
Cleveland for Third Baseman Ken
Keltner and Outfielder Felix Mac
kieWicz, but General Manager Roger
Peckinpaugh of the Indians reneged
at the last moment, fearing public
reaction"
Now every time Peckinpaugh
picks up newspaper and glances at
the box scores he sees Spence's name
nestled among those betting extra
base hits, fact which may cause
him to reconsider the deal despite
STAINS .298 batting average.
Among Spence's % hits this sea-
son have been 10 doubles, 4 triples
and 2 hOmerS, which makes him an
even-money shot to contribute an
extra-bas hit anytime he gets a
safety. He is pacing the Mats with
II runs batted in, leading Vernon
by /.
Vory,ny, r n, Jors
Vernon is sticking among the
league leaders with fancy 1897
average and he's also a distance
walloper with eight doubles, a triple
and home run among his "a hits.
Mickey has hit safely in II consecu-
tive games and is off to the most
refreshing start of his major league
career.
AS the Mats split a double-header
with the Athletics yesterday at
Philadelphia-they lost the opener,
Ga, and took the second game, 81
Spence smashed a single and home
run in the first game and three
straight doubles in the nightcap.
Vernon registered two singles in the
first game and double in the sec
ond as Washington clung to fourth
place.
Forty-year-old Johnny Niggeling
came up with 4-hit performance
in the nightcap. He permitted only
one hit in the last six innings and
had an easy time of it, despite walk
ing seven.
The Mats got him a run in the
first inning when Sherry Robertson
walked, stole second and scored on
Spence's double to left, but the AS
matched that in their half of the
inning as Irv Hall singled, Hal Peck
beat out a bunt, Russ Derry sac
rificed and Robertson booted Tuck
Stainbacks grounder.
Niggeling Helps With Double.
Doubles by Niggeling and Spence
manufactured another Washington
run off Bob Savage in the third in
ming, while Cecil Travis double and
Jerry Priddy's single gave the Mats
81 lead in the fourth. That was
sufficient for Niggeling, who sparkled
in his first start of the season. Six
of the Mats 10 hits off Savage and
Luman Harris, incidentally, were
doubles.
The Mats hammered Dick Fowler
for seven hits in the first three in
ningS of the opener, but thereafter
he permitted only two safeties. One
was Spence's second homer of the
season, hit over the right-feld wall
after Buddy Lewis had reached first
on an error in the eighth inning.
Washington produced luck
anointed run in the first when Rob-
ertson was safe as Third Baseman
George Kell lost his pop fly in the
sun. Robby moved to second as Lewis
grounded out and scored on Vern-
on's single to center after Spence
took a third strike.
Singles by jeff Heath, Travis and
Mickey Haefner netted the Mats
20 lead in the second, but George
McQuinn's triple and Buddy Rosar's
long fly whitfield that margin to 81
in the AS half of the inning.
Hudson Takes Punishment.
Heath dropped Rosar's liner to
launch the Athletics on a two-run
outburst in the sixth. Pete Suder
followed with double to left and
Kell scored both runners with a
single to center.
Sid Hudson took over the Wash
ington pitching in the seventh and
it was all right with Philadelphia.
Singles by McQuinn and Rosar,
Suder's triple and wild pitch pre-
sented the AS three runs and a
So advantage, so Spence's homer
served only to give the Mats hope.
Fowler snuffed that by retiring the
last six Mats in order.
Umpire Art Passarella was first
game casualty, suffering a dlslq-
Gated jaw when a foul tip off Vef-
mons bat smashed against his mask
in the first inning. Passarella, whose
leg was Dashed by a foul tip in
Washington recently, is expected to
be out of action for a week.
Idle today, the Mats will play
the Tigers here tomorrow in the
opener of a two-game series.
kAor,Iond HIuh kAoLee