Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-03-23
Rudolph Eyes
0pening-Day
Mound Job
Senator'S Pitcher
Faces Pittsburgh
In Crucial Test
BY MERRELL WHITTLEsEY
star staff Writer

kirk and added a note signed
Your opening game pitcher
1t brought a few chuckles.
However, Rudolph's note
must be taken seriously If he
produces a satisfactory seven
inning job against the Pirates
here today. Rudy will share the
pitching with Steve Hamilton
but will have the opportunity
to 60 seven innings.
The Nets brought q cold
north wind with them to Pom
PIANO Beach yesterday and Lar
ry Burright put q couple OF
high homers on the breeze and
a couple Of singles under 1t to
help the Nets win, Ga. But II
wasn't much Of a day for base
ball. Everybody was busy try
ing to keep warm in the first
non-summery day in three
weeks.
Dave Stenhouse stayed in the
running for the opening-day
bid, striking out eight in q tive
inning turn, and 1t appears the
April 8 assignment will 20
either to Dave or Rudolph, Tom
Cheney has pitched himself out
Of the running, and Claude Os-
teen has not been sharp.
Lock Plays First
Even though Rudolph is a
southpaw and Baltimore, the
Senators opening-day oppon-
ent, has seven righthanded hit
tiers, Rudy was tough against
the Orioles last year and Man
ager Mickey Vernon has this In
mind.
The Senator's had q new face
on first yesterday, when Don
Lock, who started in CENTER
field, changed positions with
Tommy Brown in the sixth
inning. Lock played some first
base in the minors.
Don made one superb play,
on a low liner that he con-
verted into an out, with D
rather nonchalant pickup.
Bucky Harris said Lock re-
minded him Of Hal Chase on
the play. But I'm not sure
that he knew he had It,"
Bucky added. A
Vernon said the switch was
made merely to get q look at
Lock on first and to see some
thing Of Brown in the outfield.
Tommy had his first hitless
day as a starter. He walked,
struck out on q 80 pitch bat
ting lefthanded against Galen
Cisco and twice grounded to
short, hitting righthanded
against Ken Mackenzie. His
second grounder was turned
into a double play in the
eighth, hating q Senator
rally after two runs were In.
Nets, Burright Hot
Chuck Hinton made it seven
hits in his last three games
with a single, double and a
homer over the leftfield wall.
The Nets and Burright both
are hot. Casey Stengel's club
has won five Of its last six
games, and Burright, the Sec
ond baseman obtained from
the Dodgers, upped his spring
average to 500 with Is hits in
26 trips.
The Senators haven't won a
game since last Sunday.
Without the wind, Burright
probably would have had a
double and an outfield fly on
the two balls that went for
homers, and Hinton probably
would have had a double on
his homer.
Stenhouse gave up two runs.
one on Burright's homer and
one unearned. Jim Hannah
took over in the sixth and ap-
peared to be defying the wind
by trying to throw the ball
through 1t. He gave up a double
to Charley Neal, single by
Frank Thomas, wild-pitched a
run over and walked the bases
fun before he pitched out Of
the two-run inning. Jim also
was touched for q run in the
eighth and another in the ninth.
Hinton HOmers
The Senators scored in the
fourth on Hinton's homer and
In the fifth on Ken Refers
single and Chuck Cottier's
double TO left-center. They had
a potential big inning started
In the eighth when Ed Brink
man singled, Dick Phillips
Slashed an opposite field double.
Hinton singled TO center and
Jim King was safe on a fielder's
choice. But Lock attempting TO
bunt. forced Hinton, and Brown
hit into the double play.
Cisco, who beat the Senators
Tor the Red Sox last year, be-
came the first Met pitcher TO
go six innings.
NOTES Selkirk and Rick
Terrell Of the Tigers met after
the game In Selkirk's trailer
and, while Terrell left for Lake.
land, II Is believed the two
clubs have a deal brewing, with
Detroit bidding for O relief
pitcher.
Despite the hours OF practice,
the Senators now have failed
70 advance a runner in their
last three bunting attempts.
They cooked UP a gag on
Bonnie Daniels yesterday. Ham
ilton and somebody else packed
Bennies bag and put q note on