Evening star., 1947-07-21
| Mats Return 10 Face
Detroit Tomorrow;
Win Over FelIer
By Burton Hawkins

| Be 1t just anotner spot TO stuHlple,
there's no place like home to the
staggering Mats. They returned to
no roaring welcome today at Union
Station, but they escaped the rigors
of the road with their anatomy in
tact, which constitutes moral
| victory.
That was one of the few victories
the Mats were able to achieve, COM
piling q modest triumphs in 81
games on their disastrous journey,
which was launched with a 6-game
losing streak and finished on sour
note of 8 defeats in their last II
games.
Washington's debated athletes
deserted the village 71a games be-
hind the pace-setting New York
Yankees. They had dreamed of clos
ing some of that gap in 3-game
series at New York at the outset OF
the trip, nation which the Yankees
promptly dispelled by capturing three
straight. Events went from bad to
incredible, with the Mats dropping
an additional IA games behind the
Yankees.
Play Detroit Tomorrow.
So the Mats return home after
splitting a double-header with the
Indians yesterday at Cleveland with
eyes focused on more reasonable
ambition of a first division berth.
Weary and detected, they welcomed
day of rest today before plunging
into a three-game series with the
Detroit Tigers tomorrow night at
Griffith Stadium.
Mickey Haefner and Stan Spence
collaborated in presenting the Mats
stirring 10 victory over Bob
Feller in yesterdays opener before
crowd of 33,057, but the Indians
dealt Walter Masterson his seventh
defeat, 6-1, behind the six-hit pitch
ing of Mel Harder in the final game.
Haefner limited the Indians to
five hits in notching his fourth win,
but it was Spence who gave him his
margin of victory in the second in
ming when he rammed a lusty triple
to center after Mickey Vernon had
walked.
Spence Preserves Margin.
1t was Spence, too, who preserved
that margin in the third inning
Clipped for four of the Indians five
hits in the first three innings, Haef-
ner was aided by three successive
double plays, the last of which was
thing of beauty engineered by
Spence. With Hal Peck on third
Dale Mitchell on first and one out
in the third, Hank Edwards hoisted
fly to center and Spence unleashed
long, accurate throw to AL Evans,
frustrating Peck's attempt to score
after the catch.
Haefner thereafter received no
trouble from the Indians, whose
only hit off him in the final six
innings was Peck's single to right
with two out in the eighth. The
only other Indian who reached base
over that span was Feller, who
walked with two out in the fifth.
Feller, who famed seven, was
nicked for six hits, including a
double and single by Jerry Priddy,
and absorbed his eighth defeat.
Tribe Off to Early Lead.
/ Cleveland spurted into 10 lead
in the first inning of the second
game when Eddie Robinson singled
across George Metkovich, who had
singled and moved to second when
Dale Mitchell walked. The Mats
locked the score in the fourth on
successive singles by Sherry Rob-
ertson and Vernon, plus Rooinson's
tumble of Spence's grounder.
That tie was enjoyed only briefly
for a walk, singles by Lou Bou-
dreau, Ed Bockman and AL Lopez
and an error by Masterson, scored
three Cleveland runs in the fourth.
Mitchell's single, walk to Robin
son and Bockman's triple boosted
the score to its final proportions in
the seventh