Evening star., 1955-07-30
Now It's Up to PorterfieId
To Keep Sox from Is in Row
League Leaders
Sturting Pierce;
Dropo Still Hot
By BURTON HAWKINS

llefthander who dealt the Sem
Iators a shutout in his only ap-
Ipearance against them this sea-
son. will try to give the White
Sox a 18th successive victory
over Washington today while
keeping Chicago's pennant
hopes waving.
Pierce's opponent will be Bob
Porterfield, who owns the lone
Washington victory in IL games
with the White Sox. q sd COL
lector's item achieved May 4.
Porterfield was Pierce's victim
in 10 duel six weeks ago.
It could be a rough week end
for, the Senators, for tomorrow
they run into Dick Donovan and
Harry Byrd. Donovan has posted
five Of his 13 triumphs at the
Senators expense. including a
pair Of shutouts. Byrd has faced
Washington twice, once with the
Orioles and once with the White
Sox. and shows 80 and TO wins.
permitting a total Of only seven
hits.
DropO Streak Still Going
And in addition to all that
pitching prowess. the Senators
must contend with Walt Dropo,
hotter than a blow torch since
the All-Star Game break. The
big first baseman got three of
his teams nine hits last night
as the White Sox thumped the
Senators, So, with a three-run
splurge in the ninth inning be-
fore 5,544 customers. Thus the
Chicago club preserved its two
point margin over the second
place Yankees, who were hard
pressed to nose out Kansas City.
Dropo has batted .403 since
the All-Star game, humping
across 20 runs in 18 games. He
has raised his average to 800, a
34-point lift, in addition to
raising havoc with the league
leaders opponents.
The White Sox, who have won
IA Of their last 10 games, were
given a tremendous tussle by
20-year-old Pedro Ramos, Cuban
rookie highlander who hasn't
walked a batter in % innings.
Ramos had a f1ve-hitter and
"a % tie entering the ninth
inning. while the Senators had
collected only six hits off Virgil
Trucks, who won his 10th game.
Fox Starts Trouble
But Nellie Fox singled to open
the ninth. took second when
Jim Busby grounded out and
scored when the dangerous
Dropo lashed a single to left.
Jim Rivera's second double
chased Pedro. Carnilo Pascual
came in and purposely passed
Sherman Lollar, filling the bases.
Pascual then famed Pinch
Hitter Gil Coan, but Bobby
Adams smacked a two-run sin
gle off Mickey Vernon's glove.
Earlier the Senators had come
from behind twice to tie. The
White Sox scored in the second
inning when Rivera doubled.
took third after Lollar flied out
and scored on Chico Carasquel's
sacrifice fly. The Senators
bounced back with a run in the
third when Jose Valdivielso dou-
bled and Ernie Oravetz singled.
The White Sox moved into a
2-1 lead in the sixth after Trucks
beat out a grounder to deep
short. Minnie Minoso sacrificed,
Trucks took third when Fox
grounded out and scored when
Vernon bobbled Busby's twister.
Again the Senators rebounded, in
the same inning, when Pete Run
nels crashed a ground-rule dou-
BILE into the Washington bullpen
and Vernon singled.
NOTES: Ramos was 8 years
old when Trucks pitched his first
game in organized baseball.
The loss was the Senators fourth
in row, while the White Sox
won their third straight.
Trucks now is 80 for the season
against Washington. against
whom he finished 30 last year.
Pierce has only a 7-6 record,
but his liza earned-run average
proclaims him the most effective
pitcher in the major leagues. -.
He lost three 10 decisions and
dropped another game, 3-2, in
10 innings. All those tough
ones were against the Yankees
and Indians.
AHHRn ~~NA