Evening star., 1948-05-20

Jake Early. laughs. The Mats
have fashioned only two home runs
this season and 80 of their last 81
hits have been singles. Pitcher Wal
ter Masterson surprisingly supplied
double yesterday as the Mats dealt
the White Sox Al defeat at Chi
cago.
That lack of robust hitting was
analyzed by Manager Joe Kuhel in
spring training. He designed the
Mats attack on a basis OF hit-and-
run, daring gambling for extra
bases and stealing. That last-men-
toned department is where the Mats
have been sparkling, with Is sue
cessful steals in % attempts.
Pull Two Against ChisOx.
Four times this season the Mats
have tried double steals and three
times they have made good. Every
body is getting in on the act. Mickey
Vernon was on the scoring end of
double-steal with Johnny Sullivan
against the st. Louis Browns Yes
terday the Mats essayed two double
steals and clicked both times. On the
first occasion, Ed Stewart scampered
to third base with Vernon taking
second. LAUNDERING Jake Early later
teamed with Pinch-Runner Chick
Pieretti to negotiate a double steal.
Early scoring as Chick advanced to
second.
Vernon is the Mats leading stealer,
with five, but Gil Coan and Sherry
Robertson have stolen three each.
Stealing was a gamble which
brought about Chicago's 18th defeat
in 13 games, for the Mats stirred up
three runs in the seventh as the
result of their willingness to run.
Stewart opened the inning with
a bad-hop grounder over Second
Baseman Floyd Bakers head. Coan
flied out, but Vernon beat out an
infield tap. Stewart and Vernon
then collaborated in their twin
theft. a
Early Gets Home.
Garden Gillenwater took a third
strike, and in that situation Pitcher
Joe Haynes elected to walk Early
in AN attempt to preserve Chicago's
10 lead.
Kuhel dispatched Early Wynn to
bat for Sullivan in that bases
loaded predicament, and after foul
ing off five pitches, Wynn singled
to right, scoring Stewart and Ver-
non and sending Early to third.
Pieretti was inserted as a runner
for Wynn, and he teamed with
Early for another double-steal be-
fore Al Kozar grounded out. Mas
terson's double and Coan's single
gave the Mats their other run at
Howard Judson's expense in the
eighth.
Masterson, who notched his third
victory, was nicked for run in
the fourth inning on Luke Appling S
single, Ralph Hodgin's double and
Aaron Robinson's long fly, but Wal
ter braced to scatter four hits in
the final five innings as the Mats ran
wild. Kuhel, Incidentally, didn't
order that steal, with Early on
the scoring end, but he approved
Of 1t.
1--WE told them to run when the
gamble is good" said Joe, land
Early and Pieretti took the gamble
at the right time.
Everybody Is Surprised.
"They had worked out that play
by themselves while sitting in the
hotel lobby. They were assuming
the situation would arise and. sure
enough, it did. That shows they're
thinking and I like that
They reasoned that no pitcher
would dream of Early stealing home
ecause he's slow. Well, Pieretti
and Early injected the element of
surprise and Haynes was so sur
prised by the turn of events that he
baked. No, the umpires didn't call
it, but he baked. When you sur
prise somebody in baseball by pulling
the unusual anything can happen. y
Two games below the 500 mark as
the result of sweeping the two-game
series at Chicago, the Mats hope to
move up at the expense Of the
Browns in a three-game series OPEN
ing here tonight. Wynn will bid fol
his fourth triumph in the opener
with Ray Scarborough likely to star
tomorrow night