Browns Blast Tigers While Cardinals Prepare for Crucial Pirates Series

Content from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat Wednesday June 30, 1926

In This Edition

• Brown Bats Make Things Warm for Tigers and Gain 11–3 Victory
  • Whitehill Taken Out Early
  • Brown Defense Perfect
  • Sisler Hits Triple
  • Zachary Today
• Cardinals Go to Pittsburgh for Series Against Pirates
  • X-rays Show No Injury
  • Toporcer or Flowers
• Hornsby Resting Easy, but Return to Game Uncertain
• Branch Rickey Signs Two Nokomis Players
• Negro Stars Defeat Indianapolis Again
• Advertisements

Brown Bats Make Things Warm for Tigers and Gain 11-3 Victory

Fourteen hits for 22 bases are secured off three Detroit hurlers.

Bing Miller leads in attack by collecting two doubles and a single while George Sisler hits triple and two one-basers.

By MARTIN J. HALEY.

Firing fourteen hits hot enough to raise a twenty-two-base temperature, the Browns baked Detroit into an 11-to-3 sweat at the North Grand oven yesterday's sizzling afternoon. So hot were the Brownie stokers that only the Gaston-Dixon battery failed to burn up the choice morsels served by Whitehill, Holloway and Smith, but this failure was more than counterbalanced by Bing Miller, who poured two doubles and a single through the heat waves and by George Sisler, who ran riot on a triple and two singles.

Additional big gunning was done by Marty McManus, who tripled and singled, and by Rice and Gerber, each of whom warmed up to the occasion with two singles. Not content with their attack at the plate, the Browns burned up the bases and stole a total of four sacks, the four evenly divided by Miller and Melillo.

Whitehill Taken Out Early.

First to feel the heat of the Brown wood was Southpaw Whitehill. He was griddled in less than an inning, when, with two gone in the opener, the Browns collected three singles and a double for three runs. Holloway, a right-hander, was scorched next and was permitted to "take it" until the seventh, when Cobb, with compassion in his heart, yanked Holloway for a pinch batter. Prior to his departure, Holloway was boiled in a series of pot shots which had the Browns scoring two runs in the second on three hits, two runs in the third on two hits and two errors, a run in the fifth on a triple and a sacrifice and a run in the sixth on a single and a triple.

Third and final of Cobb's firing liners to suffer was George Smith, a young right-hander from Toronto. Smith, after his offerings were cooked into a run on two singles and a pass in the seventh, changed the order of things in the eighth and donated the Browns' final run on four bases on balls. The Browns, therefore, potted at least one run in every inning, save the fourth, which Detroit celebrated with a double cremation.

While the Browns thus were boosting their batting degrees, Gaston was employing a smoke ball to such good effect that the Tigers were screened from the plate until the seventh and eighth innings, when the Bengals sweated around the runways three times by bunching five of their eight blows. Prior to the seventh, Gaston held the Tigers to three hits and permitted only one invader to pass first base.

Brown Defense Perfect.

Protecting Gaston was a perfect Brownie defense, which crackled with illuminating plays in several innings. There was only one semblance of a miscue. In the seventh inning, with the bases full fired with Tigers, Miller dropped a fly from Tavener's mace, but recovered the ball in time to force Fothergill at third base, and so escaped an error.

Heavy perspiring got under way, as well as under shirts, when Sisler singled after Durst and Melillo had died in the first inning. McManus also singled and scored behind Sisler on Miller's double against the left field fence. Miller sped home on Gerber's single, which blasted Whitehill into cooler regions and brought in Holloway, who put out the fire by "getting" Dixon on a tap in front of the rubber.

Gerber's infield hit acted as the trail blazer in the second inning, in which Gaston sacrificed, Durst tripled and Sisler singled to cook up two more runs. The third inning was somewhat of a stew. Miller doubled and Rice beat out a hit to O'Rourke, then both coasted home when Warner, with a double-barrelled play in sight, fumbled Dixon's smash after making a glove stop, then threw the ball past Blue. Warner's fielding percentage was blackened twice as a result.

There was a slight flareup in round four, when Melillo walked with one out, but Sisler's torrid ground smash was converted into a roasting double play. It was different in the fifth, when McManus hit a ball so hard it hopped high off the baked turf over Manush's head for a triple. Marty wound up his base sojourn on Rice's sacrifice fly.

Sisler Hits Triple.

Melillo singled, stole second and dashed to third on Catcher Hayworth's bad throw in the sixth, then scored when Sisler rifled a three-bagger to left center. In the seventh Miller singled, stole second and counted on Gerber's crescented single to left, while in the eighth Melillo walked and pilfered second, then finished the circuit when Smith walked Sisler, Miller and Rice.

Leading to Detroit's two runs in the seventh, Cobb doubled. Fothergill singled to deep short. Warner walked. Tavener flied to Miller, who dropped the ball, but retrieved quickly and threw to McManus, forcing Fothergill at third, Cobb scoring. Pinch batter Wingo beat out an infield hit, Warner scoring, Tavener taking third. The Tigers could have had another run when Heilmann, batting for Holloway, lined deep to Miller, but Tavener was dozing in the warm sun. Blue then made it blacker for Detroit by fouling to Sisler.

Manush wound up scoring for the day when he hit a homer into the pavilion in the eighth. Just prior to the clout, Manush missed a homer by inches into the upper right field grandstand wing. Manush also had missed the bull's eye by inches in the sixth, and Cobb, just prior to doubling in the eighth, also failed to locate home run territory by inches.

Second and final game of the series today.

Zachary Today

Zachary for the Browns, Wells or Gibson for the Tigers this afternoon is the advance guess.

Yesterday's Brownie lineup was changed in two spots as compared to the order Sisler was employing when the Browns went on the road. Durst now is leading off and Rice is batting sixth, whereas Rice was the lead off batter and Durst the sixth place cog when the club was home ten days ago.

Cobb has been playing left field since June 18. He made the change partly because Manush was going good in center and partly to save his own legs as much as possible.

Cobb spent much time yesterday wig wagging to a fan in the upper wing of the third base stands. The fan persisted in calling Cobb "Rudy."

Heilmann has been out of the lineup with a cold. Catcher Bassler, who is nursing a broken ankle, is expected to be back with the Tigers in mid-July. At present Bassler is in California.

Both George Smith and Ray Hayworth, who formed Cobb's battery at the close of the game, are from Toronto, Detroit's farm. Hayworth came up when Bassler was hurt.

Joe Giard, Brownie southpaw, has returned to the team after a trip to Bonesetter Knight in Rochester, N. Y. Giard made the trip while the Browns were playing in Detroit and Chicago and now asserts that his arm is in pitching shape.

Cardinals Go to Pittsburgh for Series Against Pirates

Bill Sherdel or Jess Haines Likely to Hurl First Game for Knot Holers—Rain Causes Idleness in Chicago.

By JOHN J. SHERIDAN, GLOBE-DEMOCRAT STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

CHICAGO, ILL., June 29.—Today's rain which washed out the only scheduled game here with Chicago's Cubs was not regretted by the Cardinals, who moved out tonight for Pittsburgh, where they open a four-game series with the third-place Pirates tomorrow. If anything, this afternoon's postponement was welcomed by the pennant-chasing St. Louisans, whose most moral effecting punch, Rogers Hornsby, manager and renowned batsman, has been lost until the club returns home Sunday.

On top of the absence of Hornsby who remained in St. Louis to undergo an operation for carbuncle, Bob O'Farrell, whose remarkable catching since joining the Cardinals has stamped him as one of the foremost maskmen in the game today, and Billy Southworth, energetic and skilled outfielder who was only recently obtained from the Giants in an even up trade for Heinie Mueller, are not in top shape.

Both were injured in Monday's game but would have been pressed into service against the Bruins today had not the rain appeared. O'Farrell injured a digit on his right hand while Southworth hurt his right shoulder trying to make a diving catch of Kelly's triple in the Cubs' big fifth inning in St. Louis Monday.

X-rays Show No Injury.

X-ray pictures of Southworth's casualty were taken and the developments disclose not the slightest sign of a fracture. The veteran outfielder, nevertheless, was well shaken up by his tumble and there was naturally considerable soreness in the affected member this morning after the night's ride from St. Louis.

In addition to providing additional time for O'Farrell and Southworth to "shake off" their physical ailments today's downpour which started an hour and one-half before game time and continued intermittently all afternoon, gave the Cardinals pitching corps opportunity to prime itself for the important series with Pittsburgh's Pirates tomorrow.

In as much as acting Manager Killefer had little Bill Sherdel, who, admittedly, never felt better, and robust Jess Haines to pick from for this afternoon's clash, they will be available for the Pirate opener tomorrow, along with the Buccaneer tamer, Flint Rhem, the National League's premier right-hander and the Cardinals recognized ace. Killefer will make his pick from this trio for tomorrow's opener in Pittsburgh and the chances are that Sherdel, the diminutive left-hander, who has found himself after a slow start, will be the choice with Haines ready to step in if needed and Rhem held in reserve for the second clash Thursday.

Toporcer or Flowers.

In the absence of Manager Hornsby either George Toporcer or "Tiger" Flowers will cover second base, dependent on whether a left or right hand hurler toils for the Pirates. In the event of a southpaw the right-hand hitting Flowers will get the job, while Toporcer, who swings from the heart side, will do duty providing a northpaw toils, which is more than likely.

There is no question about the makeup of the rest of the team, despite that O'Farrell and Southworth are nursing injuries. Neither is bad enough off to require a substitute, it is understood.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the Cubs' park today to see the single game between the Bruins and Cardinals, and they were disappointed when the no-game sign was hung up shortly before 2 o'clock. The Cardinals are well liked here, especially after their recent acquisition of Grover Cleveland Alexander, who won his first game in a Cardinal uniform Sunday when he defeated his former mates, 3 to 2, in a ten-inning hurling duel with Young Osborn.

It was announced by Secretary Clarence Lloyd of the Cardinals that today's postponed game would be played off as a part of a doubleheader here on September 2, when the Knot Holers will make another one-day stand in this man's so-called Windy City.

Hornsby Resting Easy, but Return to Game Uncertain

Manager Rogers Hornsby of the Cardinals was resting comfortably yesterday and last night following the operation upon his thigh for the removal of a carbuncle. Whether the Rajah will be able to return to the game by Sunday, however, is not known at this time. Dr. Robert F. Hyland, who did the operating, said there is a chance that Hornsby will be in condition to play Sunday, but added that Rogers may not be fit to play for at least a week. Hornsby himself declares that he will be at second base Sunday.

In Hornsby's absence from the team, Billy Killefer will act as manager and Toporcer will alternate at second base with Jake Flowers against right and lefthanded pitching.

Branch Rickey Signs Two Nokomis Players

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE GLOBE-DEMOCRAT.

NOKOMIS, ILL., June 29.—Andy Bednar and George Vertal of Nokomis, both well known in amateur baseball in Central Illinois, and friends of Jim Bottomley, star first sacker with the St. Louis Cardinals, have been signed up by Branch Rickey, scout for the Cardinals. Both men will go to Cedar Rapids, Ia., where they will pitch for teams in the Mississippi Valley League. During the past several seasons Bednar and Vertal were pitchers for the Nokomis Colts.

Negro Stars Defeat Indianapolis Again

By Associated Press.

INDIANAPOLIS, IND., June 29.—The St. Louis Stars made it four out of five over the Indianapolis A. B. C.'s here today, winning by a 5 to 4 score. St. Louis left immediately after the game for St. Louis, where, on Saturday, they open a five-game series against Cleveland.

The score:

Batteries—Brown, Miller and Murry; Williams, Drake and Dixon, Foreman.

ADVERTISEMENTS