Evening star., 1953-06-08
Cleveland, Cheered
By Fe||er, Will Face
Test This Week End
by the Assoeioted Prsss

The American League is be-
ginning to level of and as the
Yankees took a casual glance
today, who was galloping
along in second place but their
old friends, the Indians.
The only trouble with the In
dians is that they have an
alarming tendency to fold in the
and play dead when they
go up against Casey Stengel and
his operatives. In 1851, for
the Yanks won IS and
lost only Z to the Clevelanders.
Last year the Indians made q
better fight of it and the Bronx
Bombers' margin was only 1910.
So far this season, the Yanks
have won three and lost none
against the Indians, who still
are 512 games off the pace.
The Indians will have a good
opportunity to make up some
ground this week end when the
Yankees invade Cleveland for a
four-game series. Conversely, it
will provide the Yanks with a
good opportunity to pull away
farther and all but sew up the
pennant.
Feller Brightens Hopes.
Cleveland Manager AL Lopez
can see one bright ray through
the clouds. He will have avail
able Bob Feller who until yes
terday had not won a game in
more than month. If Feller
can start winning regularly. the
Indians have a chance. If not.
well, who do you like for third
in the American League?
Felle1 pitched neat six-hitter
yesterday in the opener Of q
doubleheader against Philadel-
phia. The Indians won it, "a.
by scoring five runs in the fourth
inning, then went on to take the
nightcap, 4-3, with Early Wynn.
Dave HoSkins and Bob Lemon
handling the mound chores.
Hoskins was the winner.
But the two victories netted
the Indians exactly nothing be-
cause the Yanks also won a dou-
ble-header in st. Louis 90 and
To. The second-game triumph
was the Yanks' 18th in q row
and marked their longest win
ming streak under Stengel.
Breaks Loose Twice.
Neither victory came easily.
In the first game, Eddie Lopat
and Dick Littlefield were locked
in % tie going into the sew
enth. Then the Yanks sel,t sew
en- runners across the plate and
that was the game. In the
nightcap the New Workers were
behind, 20, until the sixth, when
they shelled Harry Brecheen with
seven runs. Whitley Ford was the
winner, although Allie Reynolds
came on in the sixth.
The Mats and White Sox, bat
tling for third place, split q
double header. Washington won,
1872, and lost. 5-1.
The Tigers lost their 18th
straight as the Red Sox beat
them, Al. Skinny Brown went
the distance for the winners and
helped his own cause with Q
home run.
Braves Regain Lead.
In the National League, Mil
waukee and Brooklyn continued
their neck-and-neck battle for
first place, and today it was the
Braves turn to occupy the top
rung. They won two games from,
the Phillies. 60, and 5-3. The
Dodgers took a single game,
Swamping the Cardinals, 10-1. !
The Milwaukee triumphs
dropped the Phillies AZ games.
back in third place. johnny
Antonelli, backed by home runs
by Sid Gordon. Andy Pafko. Ed
die Mathews and Ebba st. Claire. 4
held the Phlls to only five hits !
in the opener. )
Don Liddle started the seconds
game for the Braves, but Bob
Buhl took over in the fifth and
got credit for the victory. The
Braves pulled It out with three .
runs in the seventh.
Carl Erskine yielded only four ?
hits in the Dodgers clobbering !,
OF the Cards. He probably could
have given up another dozen
without being in danger. Gil
Hodges hit another home run
Tor the Dodgers, his seventh.
The Cubs won two from the
Giants. 1915 and 5-3, and Gin
cinnati took a pair from Pitts
burgh. 6-1 and 11-6.
The Cubs broke a six-game
losing streak with their first VIC 2
tory over the Giants, with Ralph
klner hitting two home runs.
Warren Hacker won the first
game after losing eight in a
row. Relief Pitcher Turk Lown
grabbed the second after reliev- ,
ing Sheldon .Tonas