The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-03-30
Indian, Giant
Pennant Wins
Seen ByScribes
BY Ed coRRIGAN
APP Sporfswriter

If you want to take the word of
the experts, the Cleveland Indians
and the New York Giants are the
teams that will win the major
league pennants if the New York
Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers
falter.
The Indians this spring have
been playing the kind of baseball
one would expect of a pennant con-
tender. But then, the Indians had
many observers convinced they
would take the Yankees last spring
They always seem to look good
in the training season. But there's
always that one year that would be
the one. Al Lopez team now has
won six in a row from major
league opposition, including yester-
days 1873 slaughter of the Giants.
They also hold a 6-2 lead in the Sc
ries with Leo Durocher's opera
tives.
The Giants, on the other hand
are fair game for the viewers with
alarm. They've been playing poor
ly as the statistics will show.
There's no need to GO through the
entire list. Suffice it to say they
have lost their last five games and
10 of their last IL against major
league opposition.
And Durocher doesn't even have
his lineup set. He still had Hank
Thompson in center field yester-
day, and it's pretty generally
agreed that Bank can't make the
grade, Bobby Holman played Sec
ond base and Davey Williams pinch
hit.
The Giants pulled out of Phoenix
today and they play the Indians in
eight states before arriving at the
Polo Grounds.
Durocher, who has been spending
most of the spring denying that he
was worried about the perform
ance of the Giants, made no bones
about being displeased with the
barrage to which three of his pitch
ers were subjected. All told, AL
Corwin, Hoyt Wilhelm and Reuben
Gomez were pounded for II hits,
including two home runs, two tri-
pies and three doubles. They also
gave up nine bases on balls.
The Dodgers and Yanks, mean
while, went at each other as though
the World Series were at stake in
st. Petersburg, with the Brooks
winning out, 10, to pull even in
the exhibition series, 2-all. Johnny
Podres and Joe Black held the
world champions to five singles
while Jim Mcdonald went all the
way for the Yanks.
The Dodgers made only four hits
and their one run came about in
the second inning when Jackie
Robinson walked, went to third on
a double by George Shuba and
scored when Roy Campanella
grounded out.
The Detroit Tigers, who are
playing like anything but tailend-
ers, defeated the Boston Red Sox,
lit, for their 11th victory against
five defeats in Grapefruit League
competition
The Washington Senators, with
Jackie Jensen hitting a home run
and two singles to raise his bat
ting average to .s07, defeated the
Milwaukee Braves, 10-7.
1t took an assist in the form of
four errors, but the st. Louis Car
dinalS. who have been having their
troubles all spring, stopped the
Cincinnati Reds, "a.
Harry Byrd, who is trying to
! work his way out of the Philadel-
phia AS doghouse, took a step in
the wrong direction when he went
all the way against the Philadel-
phia Pills and was dubbed for a
10-7 loss.
The Chicago White Sox and St.
Louis Browns divided a double
header. The Brownies won the
first, Ga, on three runs in the
ninth, while the Pale Hose, behind
Tommy Byrnes' six-hit pitching
took the nightcap--a seven.inning
affair-5-3.