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Show ATHLETICS ! AND GIANTS Two Teams Will Be Contenders for the World's Championship No Shifting of Positions Po-sitions Probable I New York. Aug 24. Whatever chance remained for a shift in th? prospect that New York Nationals and Philadelphia Americans would once more face each other as world's, series contenders has faded almost to the vanishing point. Twelve full games now separate New York and Philadelphia In the National league In the other division divi-sion of major league baseoall. the Athletics have been able not only to hold their own but to Increase their lead. Clevoland is now trailing the leaders by nine full games, With the close of the regular 60iison six weeks away. It takes little figuring 10 show how small likelihood there is of an I Overturn in either league. The break In the Philadelphia spurt which practically put Dooin s men out of the running In the National league I race began with th appearance of Chicago on the Quaker field. Four! straight was the Cubs record In that series up to midweek when the Phillies Phil-lies finally rallied against Kcrs' team and won their single victory of the la6t eight games. ritts'uurg, however, fresh from a triumph over New York In three out of five games at tho Polo Grounds at tnis Juncture Junc-ture resumed Philadelphia's humiliation, humilia-tion, cleaning up a three same series that ended yesterday. Philadelphia's best was to lie the Pirates Friday. Meanwhile Chicago moving over to N'cw York foil letlms to the renewed vim of the Giants and dropped the entire series, enabling tho HcGraw-Ites HcGraw-Ites to round up their week succcss-full succcss-full and with their lead strengthened strength-ened almost to the poin' of Impregnability Impreg-nability The reserves at Pittsburg's Pitts-burg's hands were largely cnargeable to the great game put up both at bat and in the field by Honus Wagner. The veteran in this scries played up to the best standards of his prime The second division teams also had I a tight little time of It among them- I selves. Cincinnati gatyimg ground rapidly. St Louis falling off precipitately precip-itately and Brooklyn and Boston uDout noMing tneir own The poor showing of trie Cleveland's Cleve-land's and the gam'1 ami BUCCeBBful struggle of the Athletics to hold their lead with no less than eleven men on the hospital list, were the striking features In the American j league. The Philadelphia catching problem became so serious, with Lapp. Thomas and Scbang all laid up, that the veteran first baseman J Harry Davis, had to go behind the j bat for a time on Saturday Houck ; Brown and Shaw key. the team's young pitchers, have stood up nobly and between them are accountable for the Athletics' four victories. whll two of the games lost were dropped by Bender and Plunk Part of the Cleveland's lapse has l been due to failure to the boxmon to pitch up to their previous stand-I stand-I ard and lack of pinch -hitting power , among the batsmen. Washington Is pressing tlio for second position now-, only 20 j points separating the teams as the I new week opened. Groom is pitching I good ball again and Boehllng, after losing four in a row when nls winning win-ning streak of 11 was broken, came through with a victory. Walter I Johnson 6 record, including today's victory. Is 14 straight, with the season's sea-son's figure standing 29 victories against 0 defeats. The White Sox have been going nicely, with good box work to steady them. Boston, after getting a hard j . knock by the loss of the final game j In St. Louis and throe running in Chicago, swept the Cleveland grounds clean In the series St Louis got something better than an even brf-ak j on the week, while both Derrolt and 1 New York made it four and four Preparing for next season by means' of purchases and de.is are continuous. continu-ous. The most Interesting exthanp-the- week was the trade of B rne and CamnlU of Pittsburg for Dolan of Philadelphia, with a cash oonsldera-tlons. oonsldera-tlons. Phlladelphlans figure that th'-' veteran third baseman will strengthen strength-en their Infield, to say nothing of the work Camnttz may be able to do for them It Is figured that Fred Clark, Is Intent on building up with men 1 younger and faster than those of whom ho disposed |