Evening star., 1962-04-25
Vernon Looks to Rockies
To End Senators Losses
BY MERRELL WHITTLESEY
Star Staff Writer

BY MERRELL WHITTLESEY
Star Staff Writer
BOSTON, April Is. - The
Snake-bit Senators are sending
their two raw rookie pitchers
against the Red Sox today and
tomorrow, hoping to snap their
losing streak before the four
game weekend series with the
Yankees.
They've lost seven in a row
and if it should reach nine be-
fore the visit of the Yankees,
all might be lost before the
season is decently under way.
A couple of wind-blown out
field flies by Pete RunnelS and |
Frank Malone that went for |
a home run and a two-run |
double broke up a IL ball |
game in the eighth inning yes
terday and gave the Red Sox a |
Al victory.
Runnels HOmers Twice
Perhaps the cruelest blow of |
the Seven-game losing streak |
was getting beat by a pair of |
home runs by Runnels, a
-known singles hitter. The |
former Senators infielder, who |
was the 1860 batting champion
with the Red Sox, pulled a fast |
ball into the seats in the third
inning and the wind took his
second homer over the fence in
the eighth.
In six of his IL major league
seasons Runnels has hit two
homers or less. 1t was the first
time since he played for Tex
arkana, Tex, IL years ago that
he hit two in one game.
For 71s innings Joe McClain
pitched one of his best ball
games of two seasons with the
Senators. Two of the four hits
off him at that time were
cheap and prior to Runnels'
second homer he had walked
only one. He was magnificent
in pitching out of a jam in the
seventh.
But Jim Kings home run in
the seventh only gave McClain
a tie and the Senators got only
two other runners as far as
second base against the palm
ball pitching Of Galen Cisco,
who won his second straight |
with a four-hitter.
Has Little Alternative
The mounting losing streak
has not changed Mickey Ver-
mons mind about giving his
kid pitchers a chance in the
Boston series.
He has little alternative.
Bennie Daniels is taking shots
for. the first extended arm trou-
BILE of his career, and besides
McClain, Vernon's other start
ing pitchers are southpaws.
LeftieS seldom start in Fenway
Park, unless they're Mel Par
nell. &.
Jim Hannah, the Notre Dame
graduate, drafted off the Red
Sox roster last winter in what
General Manager Ed Doherty
considered to be the steal of
the minor league draft. will
start this afternoon.
Tomorrow it will be Carl
Bouldin, a superb athlete from
the University of Cincinnati,
whose basketball reputation
exceeds his baseball back
ground.
Hope to Get Even
Vernon likes the chances of
both of the 22-year-olds. Losing
streakS, winning streakS orI
debuts in the big leagues don't
figure to bother either. They
showed enough in spring train
ing to deserve a chance with a.
new team and they're a couple
of calm youngsters.
Vernon is more upset about
the Senators failure to hit at
the right time than he is about
some OF the sagging averages.
King, who had only one hit in
IL times at bat prior to yester-
day, had a solid single plus his
home run. But the only other
hits were two singles by Bob
Johnson.
Mickey pulled as many stops
as he has at his command with
the injuries to Jim Piersall and
Willie Tasby. He used Joe Hicks |
as leadoff, moved Chuck Cot
tier to the No. 2 spot and
benched Danny O'Connell, hit
less in his last 20 times at bat,
in favor of John Schaive.
Il thought we might be off
to the start we needed when
Hicks lined what looked like a