OCR Text |
Show PHILS' PITCHING STAFF READY FOR HARD FINISH Manager Moran Has Six Dependable Regulars and May Use Two or Three Now to Save Game. WITH sis pitchers in perfect condition, con-dition, Manager Moran of the Phillies has ceased nursing his twirlers. The crafty leader will not work anv of them out of turn without good cause, but he realizes now that ho is in such a position that the "cracking" of one pitcher, provided it is not Alexander, will not ruin the team 's pennant chances. Regulars will be found in the game doing relief dutv and warming up for the remainder of the season, and no unnecessary un-necessary chances will be takeD by allowing al-lowing a wavering pitcher to remain on the mound too long. Many fans criticized Moran 's judgment for sending send-ing Mayer to the mouud to relieve Alexander Alex-ander in the game with St. Louis last week, with double-headers coming thick and fast, but the Philly leader was playing the game safe. Moran Planned Well. Moran has planned well in advance for the double-headers, and the fans mav rest assured that the staff will hold up. One or two of its members might fall bv the wayside in the rush to clinch the flag, but the season will be closed with four pitchers going just as strongly as they did at the start of the vear. ' Instead of having only three dependable pitchers, as was the eas'e a few weeks ago, Moran has six, and all of them are at top form with the comeback come-back of Mayer. For instance, recently, when Mayer was sent to the relief of Alexander, Rixey was sent to the "bull pen to warm up. Apparently Manager Moran was wasting three pitchers to win one game, and with an ordinary staff thin would be suicide. But in his present situation Moran can well afford to do it, as Alexander, Rixey and Mayer can enjoy a day or two of rest while Dema-ree, Dema-ree, 'McQuillan and Chalmers are doing the' pitching and relief work. For a stretch of a month the Phillies can afford to use two pitchers a day without with-out killing off the staff, as none of the men has suffered from too much time in the "bull pen" or overwork in actual games. Pat Proves Old Theory. Two years ago, when the Philly staff broke completely, Manager Moran made the remark that pitchers could not stand constant warming up and relief pitching in the early stages of the race. He stated at the time that a twirler who is kept in perfect shape until the race is three-fourths over can stand almost any kind of work, so long as there is an incentive. As soon as he was allowed a chance tn prove his theory and manipulate his pitching staff on a percentage .basis. Moran proved, in part, that he was correct. It only remains for the staff to hold up, under his plan, to clinch everv ball game that, can possibly be saved by a relief pitcher, to establish the whole theory, ahd it is a 10-to-l bet that the pitching staff will hold up. regardless of what the final standing stand-ing of the team may be. |