Tighty Whitey
Ford Leads Galloping Colts to Second Place 
CHICAGO (May 16) -- The Chicago Colts won six straight games and pulled within 2.5 games of first place St. Louis, as ace Whitey Ford allowed just one earned run in four starts.  Ford, 26, has won all but one of his eight starts (a no-decision Apr. 18), and leads the league with a microscopic 1.72 ERA and seven wins.  Since Apr. 24, Ford has allowed 19 hits and just a single earned run in 33.2 innings (4-0, 0.27), striking out 37.  He ranks second in strikeouts, behind Billy Pierce, with 69.

Camilo Makes His Mark
Cuban rookie Camilo Pascual has added to Chicago's pitching depth.  After getting pounded in his first two outings, the 21 year-old righthander has won four straight, including a pair of shutouts.  The Havana native shut out Washington on two hits May 10, in his finest start of the year.  Camilo seems to be getting stronger as the season wears on.  He was the third overall pick in the 1954 rookie draft, and spent last season with AAA Cincinnati, where he compiled an 8-6 record and 3.67 ERA in 19 starts.

A Friend in Need (of Health Insurance)
NEW YORK (May 16) -- It's been a rough year for the Gothams.  After a third place finish and a club record 85 wins last year, all eyes were on a run for the pennant by the Bronxers.  But an anemic offense conspired with lackluster pitching to drop the club into ninth place, even below both expansion teams.  New York is 15-23, 11 games back.
   Mike Fornieles, Billy Loes, and Bubba Church have all gone south this year.  All three have ERAs above 5.00, and none has more than three wins.  Fourth starter Bob Friend has been the most consistent, with a 3.51 ERA.  But even he has a losing record (2-3 in 7 starts).  And to make matters worse, the Gothams lost Friend for 4-5 weeks with a pulled bicep on May 4.  Ramon Monzant took a start against Detroit on the 8th, only to be pounded for 7 runs in 3.1 innings.  Morrie Martin was much more successful on the 12th, beating Johnny Antonelli and Louisville 4-2 with an eight-inning six-hitter.  It isn't clear who manager Don Carrington will install in the Gothams' fourth slot while they are without a Friend.
   The Gothams have had a couple notable highlights this season.  Last year's save leader Bob Hooper (who earned the first win in UL history Apr. 3, 1951), leads the league again, with 10 saves (an impressive feat for a team with just 15 wins).  CF Jim Busby was named Player of the Week May 2.  He had a 5-RBI game against Boston on Apr. 27 and leads the team with a .319 average.  And while Jackie Robinson is beginning to show his 36 years (his average is down 70 points to .270), he wowed the Yankee Stadium crowd with a 471-foot monster home run against Louisville May 12.  The dinger was also the game winner.

AROUND THE HORN