Evening star., 1951-04-27
1913 Mark Tied,
League Lead Is
Next Objective
consuegro to Pitch;
Morrero One-Hitter
Gem in All Respects
BY Burton Howkins

i Undisputed occupancy of first
place and the most successful
start in Washington baseball
ANNALS will be twin targets of the
Mats tonight when they wind up
with the Athletics at Griffith
stadium.
Historians must search, back to
1913 before matching the Mats
present record of six wins and
lone defeat. and Bucky Harris
surprising team will establish a
jelub record if it sweeps the two
game series with Philadelphia.
Harris will rely on Sandy Con-
Suegra, a four hit winner over the
Yankees in his only previous start,
Ito approach the near perfection
his fellow Cuban right-hander,
Chico Marrero. displayed last
night. The Mats whisked into
f1rst-place tie with the Indians as
Marrero beat the AS, 81, on one2
hit-Barney McCosky's first home
run since 1947. That was offset
tby two homers by Mickey Vernon
and Gil Coan off Joe Coleman.
AS No Soft Touch.
| Despite the AS seven-game
losing streak. Consuegra is con-
fronted with no easy assignment.
His mound foe will be Carl Scheib,
a sturdy right-hander who owns a
I'll lifetime record against Wash
iington.
Harris is blinking in joyous dis
belief at the showing of his pitch
ers. This pitching was suspect be-
fore the season started and re-
ceived what appeared to be a
knockout punch when Sid Hudson
was sidelined with back injury.
Hudson. the teams leading
pitcher with IA wins last year
hasn't thrown ball in competi-
ton since April l, but MarreroI
and Bob Kuzava each have kicked
through with a pair of victories
and Consuegra and Al Sima were
impressive in winning their only
starts.
The only starter who hasn't
pitched well. in fact, is Gene
Bearden. and he was let go yes
Iterday when Clark Griffith peddled|
him to the Tigers for "a little
more" than the $4,000 waiver
price.
Five Have Gone Route.
Harris figured to be exploring
rosters Of the Mats farm clubs forI
pitching help by this time, butt
five Of his seven starters have
gone the route and another lasted
eight innings before being lifted
for a pinch-hitter.
Marrero, completely calm about
his sparkling performances in
limiting the AS to a total of one
run and eight hits in Is innings,
cites several games he feels were
better pitched than last nights,
but the 5,673 customers who saw
it will take that effort as his top
job in two years with Washington.
Chico retired the first 10 bat
ters in order before McCosky
Whammed his homer over the
irightfield wall. The only Athletics
to reach base thereafter were
Elmer Valo, who walked in the
fifth, and Ferris Fain, who walked
in the seventh. Neither got as far
as second base.
Marrero struck out nine and
the complacent Cuban infuriated
Eddie Joost particularly with al
hesitation pitch which has become
part of his standard equipment
with Harris blessing. Twice the
steaming Joost stepped out of the
batters' box in the ninth inning
as Marrero gave him an exag-
gerated windup. Eddie finally
hoisted meek pop fly to Vernon
for the game-ending out.
Play Yankees Next.
On a night when the Mats were
having a rugged time with Cole
man, Marrero was as good as he
had to be. Vernon gave the Mats
a 10 lead in the second inning
with his home run over the right
field wall, but McCosky's smash
tied the game in the fourth. Then
Chico kept hanging UP those goose
eggs while Coan delivered the
margin of victory-another homer
over the right-f1eld fence-with
two out in the seventh.
The Mats threatened to chase
Coleman after Vernon homered.
Singles by Sam Mele and Gene
Verble, plus an intentional pass
to Sam Dente, loaded the bases,
but Mickey Grasso popped out
and Marrero and Eddie Yost
struck out. The Mats filled the
bases IN the fourth. too. when
Dente tripled and Grasso and
Marrero walked with two out, but
Yost flied out.
Tonight's game will end the
Mats home activity until May IL.
Tomorrow they tackle the Yankees
in the opener of a two-game Sc
ries at New York, then travel