Evening star., 1951-04-26
Mats Can Regain
Lead by Taking
Two From As
Then Stort Rood Trip;
Morrero or Consuegro
Due to Pitch Tonight
By Burton Hawkins


The unfortunate Athletics are
bringing a six-game losing streak
to Griffith Stadium tonight and
the high-riding Mats hope to keep
lit going through the two-game
series here. Then the Mats start
on a 12-game road trip.
Bucky Harris pitching choice
for tonight's opener, which will be
televised, will be dictated by
physical fitness of Chico Marrero,
the stubby Cuban righthander who
pulled a leg muscle beating Phila-
delphia. 6-1, in his only start.
If Marrero is unable to pitch,
Bucky will switch to Sandy Con-
suegra, who bafded the Yankees
on four hits and whipped 'em, 5-3,
in his only effort. Pitching for
the AS will be Bob Hooper, a Is
game winner last season who COM
piled four of those triunphs at
the Mats expense, or Joe Cole
man.
They're Ideal Opponents.
Beaten in eight Of their first
nine games and looking at the
American League race with binoc-
Iulars, the Athletics are visioned as
ideal opponents by the astonish-
ing Mats. who suddenly see moth
ing startling in their eagerneSS to
inherit first place.
Hall a game behind the In
dians, the Mats would move into
a f1rst-place tie by defeating
Philadelphia tonight and would
take over undisputed possession
of the top spot by sweeping the
series. The Indians. idle yester-
day, also are loafing today and
tomorrow as the result of a
peculiar schedule.
Rained out yesterday in Bos-
ton, the Mats will be trying to
capture their fourth successive
series. They took both games in
Philadelphia to start the season,
won two of three from the
Yankees here and captured their
only contest at Boston.
While the highly regarded but
currently slow-moving Red Sox
haven't seen starting pitcher 60
the route in seven games, the
Mats pitchers have been breezing
along. In six games Harris start
ing choice has gone the distance
four times and in another game
Bob Kuzava was replaced after
eight innings.
Harris Praises Grasse.
Some of the credit for that
goes to Mickey Grasso," Harris
says. "He's been giving us a
grand job back of the plate and
1t looks as if he'll hit enough
to help U.s."
A personal protege of Harris,
who recommended that Mickey be
plucked from the Pacific Coast
League, Grasso is hitting .3O4
after betting a three-run homer
against the AS his first time at
bat this year.
Grasso isn't the umpires' pinup
boy, but he has curbed his temper
to some extent. Harris hopes
Mickey. will continue this COM
paratively good department.
II like his fire and that Won
derful spirit" exclaims Bucky
but we need him badly and he'll
be hurting the club if he gets
tossed out of games! He did a
falr job of controlling his temper
last season and I hope he repeats. !"
Tossed out of % games with
Seattle in 1949. Mickey was given
the thumb only three times last
season. He still bellows when an
umpire doesn't call a pitch as he
sees it, but generally he has ceased
much of his squawking.
Harris has placed the Mats en-
tire catching burden on Grasso
who has responded nobly. Bucky
shudders at the thought of injury
to Mickey and consequently the
Mats front Office is searching
frantically for a suitable under
study.