Evening star., 1947-04-24
Wynn Displays Signs
OF Reaching Peak in
Victory Over As
BY Burton Howkins
s,or sioff Correspondent

l
NEW YORK, April 24.-There is
a suspicion that Manager Ossie
Bluege is employing black magic in
hosting his Mats back to respecta-
bility, for despite a three-game win
ming streak, Washington isn't hit
ting. The ace up Mr.. Bluege's sleeve,
however, has been the Mats pitch
ing.
At time when Buddy Lewis
| f.474) and AL Evans (.389) are the
only Mats batting over $50, Wash
ington nevertheless is thriving on an
infant victory string and resembling
a tough team indeed. Their rugged
ness is limited thus far to their
pitching, but Bluege can summon
consolation in the fact that the
Mats are capable of clouting better
and probably will.
| In six games this season the Mats
haven't mustered more than nine
hits in any engagement. They
launched the season with nine safe
ties against the Boston Red Sox
and since have been restricted to
eight hits twice. In their last three
games they have accumulated the
meager sum of six hits, seven hits
| and five hits, yet there Is that
three-game winning streak to dis
play.
Would Prefer More Hits.
Bluege would prefer to see his
athletes pounding the ball more
convincingly, but source of salts
faction to him is that the Mats
have been winning while their hit
| ting has soured. With the exception
OF 23-hit outburst against Balti-
more in an exhibition game, the
Mats haven't been betting the ball
solidly for three weeks.
A tremendous lift to the Mats in
their batting slump has been the
pitching of Sid Hudson and Walter
Masterson and Early Wynn has won
one Of the two games he has pitched.
Hudson stepped in to give Wash
ington its first triumph with a 4-hit
job against the New York Yankees
and Masterson followed with
superb Shit performance against
Boston.
Wynn was en- route to achieving a
low-hit game yesterday at Phila-
delphia, but tired badly in the final
two innings as the Mats escaped
with 4-3 win over the Athletics
although they produced only five
hits. Wynn had 4-hit shutout
entering the eighth inning, but with
two out he weakened quickly.
Wynn Reaching Peak Form.
In two games Wynn has been
slammed for 26 hits, but in beating
the AS yesterday he demonstrated
he is reaching peak form. Seven of
Philadelphia S, II hits were fashioned
off him in the final two innings
before Tom Ferricks rushed to his
rescue and stif1ed e rally in the
ninth.
The Mats had grasped a 20 lead
off Jesse Flores in the third inning.
Mark Christman opened with
double and after two were out, Joe
Grace walked and Lewis slammed
double off the right field fence,
scoring Christman and Grace.
Washington boosted that advan-
tage to 40 in the sixth. Stan Spence
walked and Mickey Vernon rammed
a triple to center, scoring him. Cecil
Travis popped out before Jerry
Priddy walked and Christman
grounded to First Baseman Ferris
Fain, but Fain threw wild past
second after stepping on first to
retire Christman. Fain's throw al
lowed Vernon to score and Priddy
streaked to third. Evans also walked,
but Wynn fouled to Left Fielder
Sam Chapman.
Four Straight Singles.
That situation existed until the
eighth. With two out the AS clipped
Wynn for four straight singles.
Singles by George Binks, Fain and
Chapman got the AS a run and
the bases were loaded when Christ
man scooted behind second base for
a brilliant stab of Barney McCosky's
grounder. Wynn then disposed of
pinch-hitter Chet Laabs on a
grounder to Priddy.
While Bob Savage and Russ
Christopher stopped the Mats on no
hits in the final three innings, the
AS made threat to walk away with
the game in the ninth. Pete Suder
poked a double to left, but Wynn
apparently was poised to pull out of
trouble when he got Mike Guerra
(See MATS, Page CD