Evening star., 1948-03-25
Hits BOB
After Big Slump
In |n'47Campaign
Pounds Spain, Braves
Lefty, for Home Run,
But Griffmen Bow
By Burton Howkins
Stor Sfnff Corrasnondenf

WINTER GARDEN, Fla, Mar. rs.
Apprehension over the deep dip in
Mickey Vernon's batting average last
season rapidly is vanishing for the
Mats slim first baseman-never an
outstanding hitter in Trainings
rolling along at satisfactory 1903
clip and getting distance with his
blows.
What Vernon went through last
season was the equivalent of climb
ing aboard a cloud, then plunging
into the Grand Canyon, for in 1946
Mickey was the American League S
leading hitter with a gaudy 1853 av-
erage. Last year he fell to a dis
NAL .265.
There's suspicion that Mickey's S
true form lines in the vicinity of
300-that he doesn't figure to be
the sensation he was two years ago,
nor the sour specimen he was last
year. AS the Mats cleanup hitter
this year, he'll carry the burden of
Washington's attack and Manager
Joe Kuhel thus far has been heart
ened by Mickey's performances.
Hits Star Left-hander.
Mickey has fashioned 10 hits in
80 attempts and among his safeties
have been three doubles, a triple
and a home run. That latter blow
was delivered, along with a single,
yesterday at Orlando as the Mats
absorbed a 14-6 pasting from the
Boston Braves.
Encouraging were those socks, for
Mickey manufactured them against
Warren SPAIN, one of the National
Leagues top pitchers. A southpaw,
SPAIN didn't battle the left-handed
hitting Vernon.
Swatting SPAIN, too, was Gil
Coan, who is hitting .316 and clinch-
ing the Mats left-f1eld job with no
trouble. In doubt is the right field
post, with Larry Drake demonstrat-
ing he'll give Sherry Robertson and
Tom Mcbride a tussle. Larry
slammed home run yesterday and
in his other appearance at the
plate was deprived of another hit by
brilliant backhand stab engineered
by Shortstop Sibby Sisti.
The Mats have been generating
more power than they were believed
to possess, but their pitching has
been less than wonderful. With the
exception of Sid Hudson, the Mats
pitchers haven't spanked and they
were on the shoddy side again yes
terday as the Braves blasted Early
Wynn, Ray Scarborough and Chick
Pieretti for II hits.
Scarborough Lacks Control.
Wynn left the premises at the end
of five innings with a 4-2 lead, but
he too was wild in the second in
ming when he walked three Braves,
pitched a double to Frank McCor-
mick and a single to SPAIN to yield
two runs.
Scarborough today would be en-
route to the sandlots had he been a
rookie bidding for a job. He was
SACCGCo Wy u oOD Ill
the sixth, yielded another run in
the seventh and walked five and
permitted two singles in the eighth,
when the Braves clipped Ray and
Pieretti for eight runs.
Pieretti was no marvel, for Sisti,
Tommy Holmes and Clint Conatser
battered him for successive doubles
In the ninth to produce two more
runs.
The Mats had moved into a 20
lead in the first inning when Coan
singled and Vernon hoisted homer
over the right-fleld fence. They
made it Al in the fourth on Yer
mons single, Lee Culberson's double
and two-base tumble by Sisti and
boosted their advantage to 6-3 in the
sixth when Vernon walked and
(Con kJATC no~a