Humphrey Sees Indians Down Nats; Late Rally Wins for McDowell, 5-2

WASHINGTON, April 11--Vice President Humphrey, six Cabinet officers, and two limousines full of Congressmen tried to root the Washington Senators to an opening-day victory over Cleveland today, and failed.

Like eight generations of Washington managers, Humphrey and his friends had to watch the Nats lose. Cleveland rallied for four runs in the ninth to start Washington towards its 20th straight second-division finish, 5-2.

President Johnson, who knows an impossible job when he sees one, stayed on the Podernales an extra day. It was the first time a President had skipped an opener since lame-duck Dwight Eisenhower put in an extra day's golf at Augusta in 1959.

A more generous set of Government officials might have decided that the Senators were due for a war on poverty grant. They gave up eleven hits and, for the most part, looked feeble against the Indians Sam McDowell. McDowell struck out six of the first nine men he faced and he didn't allow a ball out of the infield until Fred Valentine singled in the fourth.

But McDowell weakened and the Nats took the lead in the sixth as Ken McMullen singled and Frank Howard smacked a home run that hit the left-field pole.

Senators' starter Pete Richert set down the Indians until trouble started with one out in the ninth. Two walks sandwiched around a double by Jim Landis loaded the bases and brought in the Nats' reliefer Ron Kline. Davalillo promptly singled to left, scoring two runs. Two more came in on Max Alvis's third hit of the day, and Sonny Siebert set the Senators down like docile fellows in the ninth.