Evening star., 1948-06-28
Mats Split in Series
with Tribe Reflects
Credit on KuheI
BY Burton Hawkins
Stnr Stnff Corkespondent

!
PHILADELPHIA, June 28.-Wher
Joe Kuhel took over as manager O.
the Mats the cartoonists had
merry time sketching the rookie
pilot plucking rabbits from top hat
and drawing hitting aces from {
deck of cards, Now there is sus'
picion that Kuhel, an amateur
magicion, has switched to profes'
sionalism. It's magic, no less, that
the Mats are as high as sixth place
within shouting distance OF the
first division.
Kuhel is shackled with bunch
of $50 hitters. In the Mats last
16 games only three pitchers have
remained the route. The Mats have
accumulated the meager total o1
nine home runs, as compared with
New York's 10 and Cleveland's So
Mickey Vernon, who has beer
representing the Mats in the vita
No. 4 spot in the batting order mos
of the season, Is a .255 hitter who
has batted .121 in the Mats last
nine games. Three of his four hits
over that span have been infielc
affairs.
Kuhel has extracted maximum
effectiveness from the Mats who
despite glaring deficiencies, are
only one game removed from fifth
place.
In Kuhel's freshman year Early
Wynn and Walter Masterson, the
glory boys of his pitching staff.
have blown hot and cold. Vernon
has COLLAPSED. Gil Coan has shown
flashes Of hitting ability, but only
occasionally. Rookie AL Kozar has
followed the same pattern and
there are grave doubts concerning
the batting strength Of Eddie Yost,
the Mats iead-off man.
Kuhel Holds Up Morale.
The Mats have functioned with a
pair of shortstops struggling to
keep batting averages above 200
The club has no star. 1t appears
rather remarkable that 1t isn't
mired in eighth place.
Kuhel hasn't permitted losing
Streaks to wreck his club. The Mats
have shown bounce. They lost eight
straight, but have surged back to
capture five of their last seven games
splitting a double header with the
league leading Indians yesterday at
Cleveland. The Mats captured the
opener, So, before taking Al
beating in the second game before
crowd of $500. BY splitting a
four game series with the Indians
the Mats served notice they can be
tough team with Kuhel at the
controls.
Kuhel employed Ray Scarborough
Forrest Thompson and Tom Ferrlck
on the mound to whip the indians
in the first game, with Thompson
gaining credit for his f1rst major
league victory. They combined to
limit Cleveland to eight hits.
The Mats spurted to q 10 lead
in the third inning when Scar
borough scored from second on Tom
McBrides single. A walk to Ken
Keltner and singles by Ed Robin
son and Jim Hogan locked the score
in the fifth, but Mark Christman
triple after Mcbride and Vernon
had walked projected the Mats into
81 lead in the sixth.
Stewart Hits Pinch Double.
Kozars single, Garden Gillen-
waters double and Pinch-hitter Ed
Stewart's double fetched the Mats
two runs in the seventh of Gene
Bearden, and the Indians picked
up their final run in the same
inning on doubles by Hal Peck and
Walt Judnich.
Sam Zoldak stopped the Mats on
seven hits in the nightcap as Cleve-
land mauled Mickey Haefner for
all it's runs in the first inning. Dale
Mitchell and Lou Boudreau clipped
Mickey for singles before Allie Clark
and Joe Gordon rammed successive
homers. Milo Candini and Dick
Welteroth scattered five hits to
check the Indians after that ex-
plosion but the Mats couldn't
fathom Zoldak.
Washington's only run was pro-
duced in the third inning when
Kozar doubled, moved to third on
Gillenwater's single and scored on
Mitchell's wild throw to the plate.
NAT NOTES-Six Mats are driv-
ing to Washington today in new
cars five of them bought autos
! in Detroit and Rookie Kozar was
given a sleek gray job by 200 admir-.
ing McKees Rocks Pao friends be-
tween games yesterday kozar
who economies on conversation
stepped to the microphone and said
Thanks, am deeply grateful"
Early Wynn will shoot for victory
No. 8 against the Athletics here to-
morrow night in the opener OF a
3-game series.