Our Old Friend Tris Speaker and His Band of Indians Will Be Here Tomorrow
By Melville E. Webb Jr. - Boston Globe May 5, 1926
Having kept themselves out of the American League cellar only because the St. Louis Browns as yet have failed to make good their promise as run-producers, the Red Sox now are at the end of their first round robin series with the Eastern clubs.
They will wind up with the Senators today and must win to keep clean their record for taking at least one game in each series, and tomorrow they will be called on to step out against Tris Speaker and his Cleveland Indians.
The Cleveland Club is now running in third place and just one game behind the Chicago White Sox, who are trailing the Yankees. Chicago won four straight games from Speaker’s team while playing in Cleveland, and it was this stretch that proved the Indians down after they had been going up and down with the Yankees from mid-April.
The Indians seem to have much of their old attack, and from the looks of things they will get better pitching than last year. They hit for .341 in a series with the White Sox in Chicago, but for only .274 in the games they lost at home to the Tigers, which just have them. Against Detroit, Cleveland hit .278 at home and .185 in Detroit, and against St. Louis for six in St. Louis and for some .310 in the present home series, in which the Indians already have won two games from the Browns.
Couldn’t Quite Make It
The Red Sox staged a good rally at the end of their game with the Senators yesterday, but could not quite make a go of it. The champions had no respect for Howard Ehmke, who started the game, and proceeded to lose the fifth game he has lost this year and his fourth straight.
Down South this Spring everything pointed to a fine year for Ehmke, but he has not made the expected getaway, and losing five or six games is nothing like the stride he expected to strike and which, from his condition and the shape his arm was in, could be expected to bring him more to his playing standard and dominate his games.
In the first game Ehmke lost to the Yankees, who made eight hits against him in four innings. Then he pitched a two-hit game against the Mackmen and the cheering began. That was on April 16, but Ehmke has not won from the Red Sox since.
The loss to the Yankees, Senators and Mack’s on the recent trip and to Wash from home yesterday. Nine hits in six innings, 11 hits in six innings, eight hits in eight innings and 14 hits in nine innings has been the rate of Ehmke’s going in the last four games.
Fifty-two hits have been made against him in 33 innings this year. He has passed 15 men and fanned 16.
Tribe Off to Pittsburg
The Braves rushed off to Pittsburg from Brooklyn last night, after losing three straight games. Two were dropped in Brooklyn here and just before the final American League game.
The Tribe has done same hard fighting against the Dodgers, but could not come through in the close games. They lost 6 to 5 and a 5 to 4 game. Brooklyn at the Wireman, and a 3 to 2 game yesterday. The day before the Brooklyn count against the Braves was 4 to 1, while on Sunday Robbie’s boys, who are now out in front in the N. L. race, bounced the score to 9 to 1.
It was Jesse Barnes who proved an enigma for the Braves yesterday, and this lad will be one that has had a game for Brooklyn to date, thus leading the pitchers in both leagues.
Petty has pitched one ball, too. His victories in a row have been against New York, 3 to 0; Philadelphia, 2 to 1; New York, 2 to 1; Philadelphia, 3 to 1, and the Braves, 3 to 2.
Quinn Won Again
Speaking of straight winning, our old friend, Jack Quinn, again came through for the Mackmen yesterday, beating the Yankees, and the win being over second successive day Philadelphia over the league leaders at Shibe Park. Quinn has been lucky, probably, for he has been hit hard.
He has pitched 31 innings in all and 28 hits have been made against him, 10 runs and 13 in the three games he has won and five in his starting game, in which he had no won or lost record.
It is interesting to note, however, that Jack Shaner, one in the control. He has passed only one hitter in the four workouts, this one pass coming yesterday. And he has fanned 10 men.
Two Sent to Minors
Secretary Price of the Red Sox sent out word this morning that the team has decided two players to minor league clubs on option. Jimmy Detrick, the University of Virginia shortstop, who was fourth with the team this spring, has been sent to the Hartford Eastern League club.
Billy Moore, catcher from Independence, Kan., a big fellow who showed considerable promise down at New Orleans, will be used by the Portland New England League team.
Moore as well as Detrick is to be on whom the Boston scouts will keep their eyes, and both will doubtless be back with the team in time to fall and be taken to the Sox training field another year.
