BASEBALL MISCELLANY

The Angels have a lot of experience, but it doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to hitting knuckleballs. Charlie Hough and Joe Niekro have pitched one-hitters against them this season, allowing no earned runs in 16 innings.

In 141 innings against the Angels, Hough and the Niekro brothers, Phil and Joe, have a combined earned-run average of 0.48. And since the start of the 1985 season, the three have allowed just 27 hits and 7 earned runs in 51 innings against the Angels, an 0.14 ERA.

Asked if he couldn’t find a knuckleball pitcher to work batting practice, Angel Manager Gene Mauch said: “If I could find one good enough to help us that way, I’d start him.”

Numbers:

The Atlanta Braves had used only four starting pitchers through 62 games. Craig McMurty became the fifth when he started Wednesday night against the Dodgers. . . . Paul Molitor’s return to the active list Tuesday marked the first time since May 7, 1982, that the Milwaukee Brewers had no one on the disabled list. The clean bill of health was short-lived, however. Molitor reinjured a hamstring Wednesday and was placed on the disabled list Friday. . . . The Toronto Blue Jays’ George Bell has had 1,743 at-bats without a sacrifice bunt. Teammate Willie Upshaw, who had 82 homers in the last four seasons and hit his first of 1986 in the Blue Jays’ third game, didn’t get his second until Thursday. . . . Ben Oglivie of the Brewers has batted 15 times with a runner at third and fewer than two outs, and has driven home 14. Ozzie Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals has batted nine times with a runner at third and fewer than two outs, and has 7 hits and 11 RBIs.