Evening star., 1952-08-05
Spec Shea Will Need
Help 10 Beat Yanks;
Missed Sign Costly
By Burton Howkins


The Mats, whose woeful lack
of hitting was pointed up once
more in last nights tense 10 de-
feat by the Yankees. will be fight
ing for first-division survival in
the remaining four games Of the
series with the league leaders.
Allie Reynolds will confront the
Mats tonight and. barring form
reversal, it apparently matters
little that he'll be opposed by Spec
Shea, who has given the Wash
ington club batch of well-pitched
games. The Mats aren't hitting,
and superb pitching isn't likely to
offset that distressing weakness.
Tonight's game will be televised
Iby Station WTTG (Channel s.
and broadcast by Station WWDC
u260).
Bumped 6h games of the
pace by a combination of Vic
Raschi's six-hit pitching, a missed
hit-and-run sign, a grievous error
and a walk to Gil McDougald with
the bases full, the Mats are ago
nizingly aware that they can
sweep the next four games with
New York and still be more than
whispering distance from first
place.
Tough on POrterfield.
The Mats haven't produced q
run IN % innings and only one in
20. Bob Porterfield gave the team
a brilliant effort last night. but he
made the mistake of yielding an
unearned run and that finished
him. If it didn't eliminate Bucky
Harris boys as pennant contend
ers. at least it altered their OUT
look on the situation.
The Mats have been blanked 10
times and the victim on six Of
those occasions has been Porter
field. Bob has been whipped three
times by 10 scores and it's iron-
ical that two of his better efforts
have been snagged by signals
belng fOuled up.
It was in a June game with
the Browns, with the bases loaded
and one out in the 14th inning,
that Frank Campos failed to break
properly from third base when
Mel Hoderlein plopped a suicide"
squeeze bunt back to Pitcher
Satchel Paige. Campos, breaking
with the pitch, would have scored
easily. He left late. failed to score.
Paige wiggled out of the jam and
the Browns won in II innings.
Baker Misses Sign.
In the fourth inning last night,
with Pete Runnels on third,
Mickey Vernon on first base, one
out and the count two balls and
no strikes on Floyd Baker. the hit
and run sign was flashed. Baker
missed it, took the next pitch and
the Mats went down the drain on
what developed as an unwilling
and unsuccessful double steal.
Vernon. who had started for
second base. pulled up short when
he saw Catcher Yogi Berra's throw
would nail him. Runnels, who
hasn't stolen base this year, took
out for the plate and was caught
on Shortstop Phil Rizzuto's return
throw to Berra. Vernon contin-
ued to second base on the throw
home, but Baker stranded him
with fly to Mickey Mantle in
center.
Jim Busby gave the Mats what
developed as their last clear crack
lat a run in the fifth inning when
he opened with a double. He
didn't advance, for Mickey Grasso
lined to Mantle, Porterfield sent
a grounder to Rizzuto and Eddie
) Yost watched a third strike.
Grasso Error Costly.
1 Porterf1eld was placed in q jam
in the sixth when Grasso, stab
bing for Hank Bauer's tap down
the first-base line with one out.
failed to grab the ball. Bauer
reached first on the error and
scooted to third when Mantle
bounced a double over Vernon's
head after Berra flied out. Gene
(See MATS. Page A-l5)