BASEBALL MISCELLANY

So much for all that garbage about how the American League West had finally caught up with the East. The record shows that the West is a dreadful 93-130 against the East. Only the Texas Rangers are at .500 against the AL’s still superior division.

The breakdown: Texas, 19-19; Kansas City, 17-18; Oakland, 12-18; Minnesota, 11-17; Angels, 10-18; Seattle, 10-18; Chicago, 14-22.

Numbers:

--The decision by San Diego Manager Steve Boros to insist on periodic rest for Steve Garvey seems to be paying dividends. Garvey, having sat out three games now, has 11 home runs, only six shy of his 1985 total.

--In a major December trade, Atlanta sent Steve Bedrosian and Milt Thompson to Philadelphia for All-Star catcher Ozzie Virgil. There will be no All-Star game for Ozzie this year. His batting average has not been above .185 and he has failed to throw out any of the last 14 base stealers. Of Atlanta’s 13 wild pitches, 12 have come with Virgil behind the plate.

--Based on 35 starts, the strike out pace of Boston’s Roger Clemens and Bruce Hurst projects to 315 and 294 respectively, a total of 609. The major league record for two pitchers on the same team is 624, set by the Angels’ Nolan Ryan (383) and Bill Singer (241) in 1973.

--Cleveland’s Ken Schrom has allowed six home runs in the 3 innings of his last two starts. Baltimore’s Ken Dixon has allowed 15 homers in 56 innings, 11 in his last four starts.

--San Francisco first baseman Will Clark had a .260 batting average and .260 strike out percentage when benched in Philadelphia Thursday. Clark had 46 hits and 46 strike outs.

--Paul Molitor, just off the Milwaukee disabled list, has joined former outfield associate Robin Young in the infield, making room at third base for rookie Dale Sveum, who drove in 10 runs and hit in 13 of 15 games while Molitor was sidelined.