Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-05-19
Elated
Over Showing
OF His |nfie|d
Combs and Dente Star
Sid Hudson Effective
Against White Sox
By Burton Hawkins
Stor Staff Correspondent

Star Staff Correspondent
ST. LOUIS, May 19.-The Mats
bid for their fifth straight victory
tonight at the expense of the
Browns. The two-game series
opens with Bucky Harris increas-
ingly elated over what he terms
"the best Washington inf1eld
since 1888.
Against the faltering Browns,
who have dropped nine of their
last 10 games, Harris will trust
another start to towering Dick
Weik and if he clicks it will come
as no great surprise to the Mats
manager who has had a number
Of CANDLES pay off for him. Weik
probably will be opposed by Ned
Carver, the Browns ace.
The Mats bowled over the White
Sox. 7-3, yesterday to sweep the
three-game series in Chicago.
Highlight Of the series was the
conduct of Harris infield. The
insertion of Merrill Combs at
Shortstop and the switch of Sam
Dente to second base frightened
the infield almost miraculously.
Makes Tough Ones Look Easy.
Combs, batting 1856, is hitting
over his head, but he's coming up
with many spectacular plays and
in the fielding department Harris
doesn't feel he will taper off.
"He makes the tough ones look
easy" Harris said, land that's the
stamp of a good fielder"
When Bucky obtained Combs
from Boston and transferred
Dente. polished shortstop, to Sec
ond base, there were raised eye
brows but both have been per-
forming remarkably. Harris didn't
expect Combs to display such
ability after a long term of bench
riding with the Red Sox, but now
he says, II just sit on the bench
and hope the opposition will hit
'em on the ground"
Dente, who played about 40
games at second base with Scran-
ton several years ago, has plugged
a wide-open spot in the Mats in
field. He's going to his right and
coming up with grounders which
were sitting through the infield
previously.
In the first inning yesterday,
for instance, Sam dashed to his
right to make a brilliant stop Of
Chico Carrasque1,s grounder and
threw him out. Carrasquel, moan
ing about it later, wasn't con-
soled when the chesty Dente told
him wait until I get used to that
position and I'll do that all the
time"
The Mats claim Third Baseman
Eddie Yost is equipped with the
best pair Of hands in the industry
and Harris won't dispute it. Eddie
Robinson is no graceful figure at
first base, but Bucky has no COM
plant to register about his field
ing.
Bucky Pleased With Hudson.
The Mats have an adequate
second base combination for the
first time in years and such de-
tense has figured prominently in
their early success. Harris isn't
contending that his inf1eld will
match the 1888 outfit of Ossie
Bluege. Joe Cronin, Buddy Myer
and Joe Kuhel, but it's an i'm
proved quartet over anything the
Mats followers have seen since.
Bucky also is radiating en-
thusiaSm over the work of Sid
Hudson, who registered his fourth
win with nine-hit job yesterday
Sid is of to the best start of his
major league career.
AS a rookie he won II games in
1910. but that season he got off
to a miserable start. He began
that year by winning only two and
losing nine before bracing. Now
he's AZ, apparently has developed
control and could be headed for
his best year.
Hudson walked only one yester-
day and all the White Sox runs
stemmed from an assortment of
cheap second inning singles. At
that point the Mats were trailing.
81, but in the fourth inning AL
Evans blasted a three-run homer
after Dente and Combs had
walked and Hudson then allowed
only four scattered hits in the
last seven innings.
Sam Mele drove Ed Stewart
across from third with an outfleld
fly in the fifth and the Mats
lead mounted to its final proper
lions in the sixth when Combs
(See MATS, Page C-3.)