Evening star., 1947-04-12
Garry 4-6an,e Losing
Streak Into Battle
Here With0 Orioles
BY Burton Howkins

by bufron HoNkinS
The Griffmen arrived home today,
bringing with them a four-gaue
losing streak. an ailing shortstop
and d complete collapse Of power,
with only Mickey Vernon in hit
ting mood. Only two days remain
before the Mats launch the 1947
season and Manager ossie Bluege
lis confronted with the problem Of
lifting Washington out Of a terrific
batting slump. Today the club plays
the Baltimore Orioles at Gridth
| Stadium and tomorrow In Baltimore.
No shortstop problem confrontS
Bluege, for slated to join the Mats
here today was Mark Christman, re-
Gently purchased from the st. Louis
Browns. He'll open the season at
shortstop for Johnny Sullivan pulled
q muscle in his right leg yesterday
and win be Idle three or four days.
Sullivan, who grasped the Mats
ishortfield berth when Bluege aban-
doned the idea Of converting Jerry
Priddy into a shortstop, sustained
his injury In Logging 1t down to first
base In the ninth inning as q hfeless
| Washington club absorbed a So
whipping from the Phils at Greens
boro, N. G.
Score Two Runs in Three Games.
On the basis of their series with
the Phillies, the Mats haven't estab-
lished themselves as threats against
good pitching. The Phils succeeded
in embarrassing the Mats, dropping
the first two games of the series be-
fore roaring back to take four
straight.
Philadelphia's pitchers found soft
touches In the Mats, whose ration
of runs has been restricted to two
In their last three games. Against
the Baltimore Orioles today at Grit
nth Stadium and tomorrow at Bal
timore, Bluege Is hoping the Mats
will emerge from their protracted
paralysis.
Buddy Lewis, who returns to the
Capital installed as the Mats lead
ing spring hitter with a .535 average
in exhibition games, has been forced
to remain idle two days due to a
bone bruise on his hand, but was
expected to return to right field
today.
Meanwhile, Vernon's hitting has
been the only encouraging note
among the Mats, who were out
played and outhustled by the
scrappy Phils. Mickey mauled
Philadelphia's pitching for .545
mark in six games, but some of his
chums found the Phils' hurting less
attractive.
Cases Job In Jeopardy.
George Case, whose early hitting
prompted Bluege to rate him the
Mats regular left fielder, now isn't
so certain OF keeping that job.
George hasn't had the semblance of
a hit in his last 10 efforts and Ossie
now is pondering the use Of Case
against left-handed pitching and
employing Joe Grace when the op-
position fires a Highlander at the
Mats.
It was a dull Washington team
that took beating from the Phils
at Greensboro. The Mats were lin
tied to six hits by Dick Koecher
and Dutch Leonard, while the Phils
made the most Of their nine safeties
of Walter Masterson and Milo Can
dini. %
The Phillies fashioned run in
the first inning Of Masterson when
Ralph La Pointe walked, stole Sec
ond, romped to third on Johnny
Wyrostek's infield out and scored
on Del Ennis tap in front of the
plate.
Vernon's triple and Sherry Rob-
ertson's single produced a Wash
ington run in the second inning,
but the Phils bounced back to take
a 2-1 lead in their half of the in
ming when Jim Tabor singled, Frank
cCormick sacrificed and Andy
Semineck singled. The Mats again
locked the score in the sixth when
AL Evans singled across Grace, who
had singled, moved to second on
Spence's sacrifice and to third ON
a stolen base.
That situation existed until the
seventh, when the Phils clustered
three runs of Candini on Charley
Ferrell's single, Ford Mullen's triple,
an error by Candini and Wyrostek's
single.
Marino Pieretti was to face the
Orioles here today as the Mats
sought to improve an exhibition
game record which now stands at
I3 victories and 10 defeats.