Evening star., 1953-07-18
al Race May Tighten Up;
|Dodqers Futten at Home
By the Assoeioted Press


BY tomorrow night the Ameri-
can League may find itself with
tighter pennant race than the
National League.
The New York Yankees, who
once acted as if they were going
to clinch the flag by the Fourth
of July, will still be ahead, but
their margin conceivably could
be cut to a single game.
On the other hand, the Brook
lyn Dodgers stand a chance of
ending the week end as much
as six games in front in the
senior circuit.
Here's the picture:
The Yankees, still considerably
below their early-season form.
finish a series in st. Louis today
and then invade Chicago for q
double-header with the never.
say-die White Sox. The cham.
pions are nursing four-game
lead. Both the Yanks and White
Sox, who play Washington, are
favored to win today. but a pair
of Chicago victories tomorrow
would not be surprising. If it
goes that way. New York will
lead by only two games.
Chance to Stretch Lead.
Tho n0(nnrc a
in a row from the st. Louis
Cardinals at Ebbets Field this
season and could we'll make it
eight today in the windup of q
four-game set. Then comes a
pair with Cincinnati tomorrow
that the Dodgers should win.
Milwaukee's second-place Braves.
now three games back, face
their jinx team, the Pittsburgh
Pirates today, and then have to
play two tomorrow with the re-
yitallzed New York Giants.
A combination of three Brook
lyn victories and three Milwau-
kee defeats would fatten the
Dodgers lead to six games.
All first division teams in tho
American League won last night.
The Yankees beat the Browns.
GA, with the help of a triple
play and four double plays. Chi
cago doWned Washington, Al.
Bob Lemon threw a five-hit shut
out for Cleveland against Fhila-
delphia, winning SO, and Boston
edged Detroit, 80.
The Dodgers beat the Cards
twice, 14-0 and IA. Milwaukee
finally beat the Pirates 80, after
losing five straight to them. Gin
cinnati ended the Phillies' seven
game winning streak with a 80
decision. The Giants and Chicago
Cubs had the night off.
Yanks Start Newcomer.
Casey Stengel gambled on his
new lefthander from Kansas
City, Art Schailock, against the
Browns, but he didn't gamble
long. The first time the south
paw got in trouble Casey yanked
him in favor of Allie Reynolds.
even though the youngster had
a 40 lead. Reynolds was below
par and Johnny Sain finally
finished up after the Browns
scored three runs in the ninth.
The Yanks' triple play came
in the second inning when Out.
fielder Irv Noren raced in to
catch Clint Courtney's low liner.
He threw to Phil Rizzuto, who
tagged Vic Wertz and then fred
the ball to ,First-Baseman Don
Bollweg to get Don Lenhardt.
Successive home runs by Luke
Easter, with two on. and Larry
Dolby helped Lemon win his 18th
game against eight losses for
Cleveland. Last year. when he
/ won %, Lemon didn't pass the
dozen mark until August.
The Tigers knocked out three
Boston pitchers in the last three
innings, but fell a run short Of
beating the Red Sox. Milt Boil
ing's Seventh-inning homer pro-
vided the margin of victory. The
credit went to Skinny Brown.
who departed under fire in the
seventh.
Most Lopsided Shutout.
The Cardinals pitching and
fielding fell apart in the opening
inning of the first game at
Brooklyn and the Dodgers scored
seven runs. Billy Cox clouted a
grand-slam home run in the
| fourth and Gil Hodges hit his
Goth homer with two on in the
fifth. 1t was the most lopsided
shutout in the major leagues
this year. Johnny Podres pitched
all the way for Brooklyn.
Jackie Robinson hit two home
runs. the second with two aboard,
to wrap up the second game for
Carl ErSkine.
Warren SPAIN, who got credit
for the National Leagues victory
! in the All-Star game, stopped
the Pirates on four hits for his
18th triumph. Johnny Logan
homered in the first inning to
give the Braves lead they never
lost.
Cincinnati game from behind
to edge the Phillies with Pitcher
Harry Perkowski scoring the
winning run in the eighth inning.
The loss was the sixth for Curt
Simmons, who has won eight.