Evening star., 1952-05-19
Lou SIeater Effective
In First Appearance;
Don Johnson Routed
By Burton Howkins
Stor Stoff Covvespondent

~. A~0A0, NAuy 4O.-AA OAAAC
Wilson, absent from the Wash
ington batting order for q week
due to short-circuited power, will
go back into action tomorrow
might if the Browns fire a left
handler, as expected. against the
Mats In the opener Of a three
game series. If Archie shows
Manager Bucky Harris some hit
ting. it's likely he'll remain there
regardless Of the opposition's
pitcher.
Wilson at the moment is hitless
In Is successive attempts, but
Harris is weary Of waiting for Gil
Coan to deliver. Coan has a string
of nine hitless appearances and
has batted only .154 since he re-
placed Wilson in left field.
Left-handed Tommy Byrne is
likely to face the Mats in the series
opener and Bucky welcomes the
opportunity to test Wilson again.
Sparkplug of the Mats rise imme-
diately after the trades with the
Yankees and White Sox, Archie
cooled off quickly.
Lou Sleater Delivers.
Coan failed to hit Yesterday as
the Mats split a double-header
with the White Sox before a
crowd of 21,765 in Chicago.
Washington won the first game.
81, behind Lou Sleater's eight
hit pitching. The Mats dropped
the second game, Ga, after Don
johnson was pounded for four
runs without getting anybody
out in the first inning.
Coan is hitting 1876 for the sea-
son, and it's a figure that leaves
Harris unimpressed. Wilson will
get a shot at taking over regu-
larly in the hope that he'll give
the Mats some power. AS it is,
they owe their second-place status
to polished pitching and fine de-
fense.
Harris was heartened by the
emergence of Eddie Yost from his
lprotracted batting slump yester-
day. Eddie, who accounted for
four of the Mats 10 hits in the
second game, will carry a string
of five straight hits into the series
with the Browns.
Broke String of Defeats.
Yost has reached base safely
his last eight times up, with five
hits and three bases on balls
Bucky is hopeful Eddie's hitting
will become contagious. for the
Mats haven't produced more than
four runs in any Of their last
seven games. =
Sleater. making his debut with
the Mats. broke a chain of 1C
successive defeats in the majors
Since he beat Washington early
last year. Lou hadn't won until
yesterday. He lost nine in a row
with the Browns last year and had
ian OIL mark for 1852 when he
came to the Mats with Second
Baseman Freddie Marsh for Cas-
Michaels.
But Bucky is convinced the
stubby Baltimore left-hander will
become winner and Sleatel
strings along with the idea.
"Bucky has made a better
pitcher Of me already" Sleatel
Explained. with the Browns,
was kicking my right leg up il
lthe air before delivering the ball
Bucky had noticed it, I guess
while I was with st. Louis, ant
Suggested I eliminate the kicl
when came to Washington.
1T makes sense. Bucky toll
me it gave the hitters a chanc
to get set against me, that the
clocked their timing by that kicl
It's wasted motion, anyway, an
over the course of a game is liabl
to sap energy from a pitcher. M
new way of pitching still is nc
natural to me. but it's lot bet
4 ter. I think I'll improve with tn
! new style"
Good With Men nm Base
4 Improvement would mean ths
! Sleater will pitch nothing bu
! shutouts for the rest of the sea
j son. There was nothing wron
' with his work yesterday. He wa
particularly effective with me
on base. In the third and fourt
innings. for instance, the Whit
Sox opened with successive sin
giles, yet didn't get a runner
third base in either inning.
4 The Mats staked Lou to a q
lead In the first inning after tw
e were out. Jackie Jensen single,
e stole second and scored on Micke
Vernon's double to left. Pei
e Runnels brought Mickey aroun
: with single to left.
e Saul Rogovin held the Mats
: four more hits in the last eight in
e nings, but Sleater made his scar
lead hold up. The White Sox gC
e their only run in the sixth on sir
o giles by AL Zarilla, Ray Colema