Robbie Finds St. Louis Club Hard Hit by Sickness and Injuries.
May 5, 1928 Age 37
By Wilbert Robinson , Manager, Brooklyn Dodgers
Not in my recent experience have I known so many teams afflicted by sickness and injuries as is the case in the National League this spring. Bill McKechnie, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, told me yesterday that six of his regular players are on the hospital list, and practically every club in the league is, or at least has been, handicapped to a certain extent.
McKechnie’s casualties are Willie Sherdel, a great left-handed pitcher; Chick Hafey, the hard-hitting outfielder; Williamson, a young outfielder of considerable promise; Bob O’Farrell, and Waddy Holm, the third baseman. Jim Bottomley was out for a time last week, too.
The Chicago Cubs were without the services of Hack Wilson for some time, and I hear that Hal Carlson will not be able to take a turn on the mound for another two weeks.
In the East, the Braves and Giants have sustained similar losses, along with our own club. In one series against the Robins the Braves played without the services of Hornsby, Burrus, Greenfield and – all regulars.
Colds and injuries reduced the strength of the Robins right after the start of the season, too. Split fingers kept Henline and Deberry out of action, and the flu epidemic, caused by the unseasonable weather, forced Freigau, Doak and Watson Clark. Doak is not yet fully recovered, and I doubt whether he will be able to take his regular turn for another couple of weeks.
I think our pitchers will be able to manage even without the spitballer, though I would like to see Jess Petty turn in a good game. The left-hander’s progress has been retarded by the weather, too, and he is not nearly so far advanced in form as he was this time a year ago. Had he been able to beat the Giants last week, he would be less than a game removed from the league leadership.
The bad weather, apparently, has followed us westward. It rained hard all yesterday afternoon, and it was impossible to play the opening game of the series against the Cardinals. The St. Louis club has decided to play the game off as part of a double-header on Sunday, just another indication of the generally unseasonable weather we have been experiencing. Ordinarily, the double-header would be pushed back until our second visit, but the Cards have already so many twin bills carded that they can’t afford to play them all in a bunch. The strain on the pitching staff would be too great.
The Sunday arrangement suits me perfectly. I can pitch Clark this afternoon, McWeeny and Vance tomorrow and Jim Elliott Monday. With Ehrhardt and Petty also available, no pitching worries should develop. I am anxious to get young Clark started against the Western clubs. He has already convinced me that he is a big league winner; but I suppose that opinion will not be general until he has beaten an admittedly strong club like the Cardinals, for instance. His victories to date were gained over the Phillies and Braves. A victory over the Cardinals, added to those, will establish him definitely as a star. He’ll get the chance this afternoon, and I am confident he will make the grade.
