Evening star., 1948-05-24
Griffmen' 5 Attack Huri
By Vernon S Failure
To Go All Out at BAT
By Burton Hawkins
Star SfoH Correspondent

DETROIT, May 24.-One Of tht
sorriest spectacles of the season Il
the failure of Mickey Vernon, tn,
Mats first baseman, to swing fol
extra bases. He's pecking away fol
singles-a synthetic cleanup hittel
who may boost his average through
that system but who is making II
rough on Washingtons pitchers.
Mickey is hitting a tolerable -2s3
but it's giving scant satisfaction
He's no fearsome fellow in thai
vital No. 4 spot, for in the Mats las,
20 games he has batted in only foul
runs. He has whacked across only
nine this year and when he con.
tributes q home run ir will be hi.
/ first.
Vernon's failure to inject extra
base punch in the Mats batting
order is applying additional pres
sure to the pitchers, but Walter
Masterson discovered a method OF
squeezing by here yesterday when
he blanked the Detroit Tigers, 10
on a superb six-hitter. The Mats
fashioned only four hits of Virgil
Trucks, who walked across the win
ming run in the ninth, and Dizzy
Trout.
Three Top Vernon in RBI.
Mickey has supplied the Mats
with 80 hits this season, but only
five have been belted for extra
bases. He has thumped four dou-
bles and a triple. Three of the Mats,
batting far less than Vernon, have
smashed more extra base hits and
driven across more runs.
Swinging more Justify have been
Eddie Yost, Gil Coan and Al Kozar
Yost, in the lead-off spot and conse-
quently hampered from the stand
point of propelling runs across,
nevertheless has Blasted seven
doubles. three triples and Datted in
II runs. Coan has five doubles, two
triples, two homers and has batted
in Is runs. Kozar, hitting meager
.234 has twice as many extra base
blows as Vernon with eight doubles
and two triples and, significantly
has hit across 10 runs.
1t requires little stretching of the
Imagination to vision Vernon as a
.315 hitter this year, but unless he
alters his tactics such an average
will be a personal profit which will
net the Mats little value.
Passes Up Potential Dynamite.
Watching Vernon and his timid
swinging is the equivalent of W.T.
Messing sleek 16-cylinder converti-
BILE chug along with faulty spark
plugs. There is potential dynamite
in Mickey's bat, but there's damp
fuse somewhere.
Despite Washington continued
anemic attack, Masterson snapped
the Mats 3-game losing streak yes
terday with his second Shutout and
fourth victory of the season Wal
ter allowed three Tigers to reach
second base and only one advanced
to third.
The Mats were stirring up no
trouble for Trucks in the early
innings. Until the ninth Johnny
Sullivan and Kozar represented the
only Mats to get as far as second
base and neither advanced.
Coan opened the ninth, though,
by beating out a tap to Second
Baseman Eddie Mayo and Vernon
sacrificed. Coan held second as
Garden Gillenwater was thrown
out, and in that situation Jake
Early was passed purposely.
Forces in Winning Run.
That, it developed happily for
the Mats, was dubious strategy, for
Trucks then walked Kozar to fill
the bases. He also walked Early
Wynn, hitting for Sullivan, and
forced across Coan with the only
run of the game. Trout came in to
fan Masterson.
Masterson, who struck out Vic
Vic Wertz and Paul Campbell after
Hoot Evers had singled in the sew
enth, employed that same system
to escape trouble in the ninth.
Pat Mullin launched Detroit's
ninth with a single to center and
Evers sacrificed, but in that crisis
Masterson again famed Wertz and
Campbell. Masterson has a. string
of "A successive scoreless innings
and has yielded only one run in his
last two starts.
NAT NOTES: Early Wynn, beaten
in his last two starts. was to take
the mound here today against De-
troit's Hal Newhouser. The
Mats have been limited to one run
or less nine times this season i.
and 10 times in % games they have
been held to six hits or less.
The Mats shift to Cleveland to-
morrow for two-game series. . {.
On Thursday, originally an open
date, Washington will tangle with
the Philadelphia Athletics at Grif-
fifth Stadium in a night game. q.
In l8 official times at bat Master