Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-30
Dodgers All but Kill
Braves Chances in
Closing on Giants
BY the Asseeiofsd Press

TO CleVeIanQ, puC Ln9 SEED or
doubt Is beginning to grow in
the minds Of the defending
champions.
This suspicion was cleaned
from a remark by Allie Rey-
nolds, veteran Yankee pitching
star who helped in all I'VE con-
secutive championships.
IF they (the Indians) con-
tinue at this terrific pace" he
said. "they deserve to win"
Reynolds was referring, of
course, to Cleveland's sensa-
tional .721 winning percentage,
a pace never before attained by
an American League club.
Should the Indians continue at
this clip through the end of the
season. they will smash the
league record Of 10 victories
turned in by the 1927 Yankees.
The Yankees, travelling at a
500 pace. a feat never before
reached by a runner,lp club.
defeated the White Sox, Al,
yesterday. but lost ground to
the Indians. While the Yankees
were winning their sixth
straight, the Tribe was extend
ing its consecutive victory string
in Boston's Fenway Park to 10
by walloping the Red Sox twice,
6-2 and 81.
The sweep boosted the Indi-
ans lead over the Yankees to
four games with Is left to play
by each contender. Cleveland
tries for a sweep of the 11-game
season series in Boston today.
The Indians have captured seven
OF nine from Boston in Cleve-
land.
Dodgers Wreck Braves.
The National League race con-
tinued to tighten as the charg-
ing Dodgers all but killed the
Braves chances by winning
twice in Milwaukee, 1874 and
liza, to close to within ia
games of front-running Giants.
The best the New Workers could
do was gain a split in st. Louis
after dropping an 11-inning 5-4
decision to the Cardinals. They
managed to avert a "lost week
end" by overcoming q 81 deficit
to win the nightcap, IA.
The Redlegs strengthened
their hold on fourth place, by
handing the Phillies their sixth
and seventh straight losses, 80
and 8-4. The Cubs came from
behind twice to sweep a twin
bill from Pittsburgh, IA and
Al.
In a wild double-header
marred by a free-for-all, the
Tigers took two from the Athlet-
les. 1913 and 81. to wrest fourth
place from the Red Sox by one
percentage point. Baltimore.
fresh from Is losses in its last
II games, surprised Washington
with ga and SO victories.
Lemon Hits 20 Sixth Time
The pitching of Bob Lemon
and Art Houtteman and the
hitting Of Larry Dolby and Vic
Wertz featured the Indians tee
ing-off party In Boston. Lemon
scattered eight hits in the
opener, racking up his 18th
straight victory that made him
the majors first 20-game win
ner. He and Bob Teller are the
only active six-time 20-game
winners.
Until the sixth, when the In
dians erupted for three runs on
homers by Dolby (No. 29) and
Wertz CNo. 100, Lemon was
hooked up in a % pitching duel
with Rookie Tom Brewer. Wertz
hit home run No. II in the sec
ond game to help Houtteman
gain his 14th triumph with a
six-hitter.
The Yankees finally beat Vir-
gil Trucks on the hitting of Yogi
Berra and the pitching of Whitley
Ford. Ford hurled a neat six
hitter for his 18th victory and
fourth over the White Sox. Berra
doubled in the first two runs and
scored another. Trucks has
whipped the Yankees three
times, twice by shutouts. The
Yankees now have won Is of
their last 10. The loss dropped
the third-place Sox 91a games
off the pace.
Milwaukee Sets Record.
A capacity crowd of 1892
crestfallen Milwaukee fans wit
messed the Dodger sweep that
dropped the third-place Braves
71a games behind the Giants.
The turnout boosted Milwaukee's
home attendance to 1,841, $3.50,
setting new National League
record for the second successive
year. The Braves drew 1,826,3
last year, Milwaukee's first in
the National League.
The Dodgers blasted IL Mil.
waukee pitchers for 20 hits in
the doubled header. Four of them
were homers, two by Duke
Snider, one by Gil Hodges and
one by Rube Walker. Snider
batted in three runs in each
game. The Dodgers rang UP
eight runs in the 18th inning Of
the opener after the Braves had
rallied for two runs in the ninth
to tie the score at "A. Billy Loes
breezed to his 18th victory in Ia
(See BASEBALL, Page A-19,)