NAMES AND NUMBERS

--Tony La Russa categorized Chicago pitchers as headhunters after Terry Steinbach’s beaning by Thigpen, but the White Sox have hit only 10 batters this season, the fourth-lowest total in the American League, and six of those have resulted from errant knuckleballs thrown by Charlie Hough.

--Left-hander Zane Smith is 14-4 since his acquisition by the Pittsburgh Pirates last year, has not walked more than two batters in any of 22 starts and has given up only 18 walks in 150 1/3 innings.

--No matter what uniform he wears, 36-year old Willie Randolph continues to perform with style and class. He was batting .323 through Thursday in the Milwaukee Brewers’ second base platoon with Jim Gantner.

--The Cleveland Indians scored two or fewer runs in 26 of 50 games through Thursday, but one has to like the stand-up decision by fed-up Manager John McNamara to exile his one real source of power, Albert Belle, to the minors for failing to run out a grounder Thursday night. It was the latest in a series of antics retarding a career that can no longer be called promising.

--The Texas Rangers have not had a complete game in 32 games since Nolan Ryan pitched his seventh no-hitter May 1.

--Dwight Gooden, physically sound but a disturbing 5-5 for the New York Mets, has given up 11 hits in each of his past three starts and 42 hits and 23 runs in the 22 2/3 innings of his past four.

--New York Yankee Manager Stump Merrill has been forced to use his bullpen in 49 of the last 51 games, but a six-man relief committee strengthened by the addition of Steve Howe has held up and helped revitalize the team. In a 17-game stretch through Thursday, the bullpen was 5-0 with four saves and a 1.74 ERA. Said Lee Guetterman, one of the six: “It’s like Howe says, we don’t care when we pitch, as long as we pitch.”

--While the owners moan about baseball’s economy, here’s one reason that so many people are willing to pay a base price of $95 million for an expansion team: Eli Jacobs, who bought the Baltimore Orioles from the late Edward Bennett Williams for $70 million in December 1988, wants to sell. His price: $120 million.

--There are three Guzmans in the American League: Jose with Texas, Johnny with Oakland and Juan with the Toronto Blue Jays. Johnny and Juan are rookies, but the three pitchers are otherwise unrelated.