OKAY, SO THE PHILLIES STINK

VINNY'S NOTE: I had another one of those dreams last night that the Phillies were in a future World Series against the Yankees. This time we were depending on some veteran relief fool who hadn't won a game all year and had an earned run average over seven but the manager kept using him anyway and he fell apart in the 9th inning again. Thankfully our ace pitcher named Lee something goes tonight, so if I go to sleep early enough I'll check in with some twittering comments during this dream that hopefully won't be another nightmare. Here's the place to find them.

July 29, 1924

Not that I thought we'd be able to beat old Pete Alexander today, but the guy is a famous drunkard and all. The older Phillie fans who remember what he did to get us to the '15 World Series gave him rousing cheers as usual, though after Cy singled in a run off him in the 1st, then bashed a 3-run homer off him in the 3rd we were up 4-2 for Bill Hubbell. Heinie even chipped in with a scoring fly in the next inning to make it 5-2, and it seemed like we'd be sending the dumb Cubbies out of town with a loss.

But things haven't been going our way since around April. Hollocher hit a sacrifice fly in the 6th, and three Chicago singles and a ground ball in the 7th tied the game 5-5. Huck Betts relieved because Steineder is exhausted and Fletcher doesn't trust Clarence Mitchell to hold a baseball, let alone throw one.

Betts is anything but a sure bet, though. Weak little Hollocher popped a homer over the Lifebuoy sign to begin the 8th, Grantham tripled home another, Grimes fired his second cannon shot of the game into the left bleachers and that was all I wrote. Meanwhile, after Heinie's scoring fly way back when, old Drunk Pete put his sauce away and plowed through our lineup like a hell preacher for the last five innings, giving us nothing but a Harper single and Mokan walk.

There were the typical angry players and knocked-over food after the game, and now we get Hornsby and the Cardinals for a nice long visit, a team much hotter than the Cubs. Looks like I'll need a new reason to smile pretty soon.

Good night, reader-people!
—Vinny

CHI 011 001 240 - 9 15 0
PHI 103 100 000 - 5 7 0

Only National League games today:

PIRATES 4-9-1, at BRAVES 3-5-1
You know it's the Bucs' year when the worst pitcher in their rotation Johnny Morrison has a 10-3 record. Genewich and his 2-13 doesn't really have a lame cricket's chance of winning this one, even though Boston takes a3-2 lead in the last of the 7th. A Grimm single, perfect-time Cuyler double and scoring fly from Earl Smith and presto! Pittsburgh's back in front for good.

at ROBINS 7-10-1, REDS 5-12-1
At least Rachel is probably happy today. The Reds change up their usual story by losing on a day the Bucs win. And do they ever. Eppa Rixey, all 14-5 of him, has a 5-0 lead in the last of the 7th when Brooklyn knocks him out with four straight hits. Pedro Dibut takes over, Critz makes a horrible two-base error and Fournier ends the SEVEN-run rally from nowhere with a two-out grand slam, his 24th shot of the year.

CARDINALS 4-7-0, at GIANTS 3-7-2
Kind of like us, if there's a losing chute in the neighborhood the Giants will find a way to fall down it. Behind Nehf they're up 3-0 in the 8th when Youngs and Jackson make one-out errors. Four St. Louis singles in a row later they have four runs, Fowler is in to tuck New York in their beds, and McGraw's clowns have upchucked another one.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Tuesday, July 29
Pittsburgh Pirates	63	33	.656	—
Cincinnati Reds	59	42	.581	6.5
New York Giants	56	42	.574	8
Brooklyn Robins	57	44	.564	8.5
St. Louis Cardinals	52	47	.525	12.5
Chicago Cubs	46	52	.469	18
Philadelphia Phillies	37	63	.370	28
Boston Braves	26	73	.263	38.5