He had tried every trick he had in his list on the batters who faced him.

They had begun to solve his delivery more and more the oftener they came up.

And there was a very demoralizing way about their confident attitude that no doubt added much to poor Frazer's distress.

He began to believe they were just playing with him, and at a given time would fall upon his delivery, to knock the ball at will to every part of the field.
Hugh knew it was coming, and he hardly felt able to go into the box himself to stem the rising tide; but anything was better than to have Frazer submerged under an avalanche of hits.

"Big Ed" seemed to be getting better the longer he pitched, and just the reverse could be said of Frazer, who was on the verge of a total collapse.
"Better take me out before I go to the wall, Hugh," begged the other, after the sixth frame showed the score to be six to two, with more runs looming up in the "lucky seventh" in prospect.