BASEBALL MISCELLANY : NUMBERS:

The Cleveland Indians’ failure to improve a pitching staff that was 12th in the American League in earned-run average last year seemed lost amid all that preseason ballyhoo. Not now. Indian starters were 1-5 with an 8.15 earned-run average as the team went 1-7.

Phil and Joe Niekro need only four more wins to tie Gaylord and Jim Perry at 529, the major league record for brothers. Said Joe: “When you think about it . . . two of the records that won’t be broken are Cy Young’s 511 wins and the number of victories we get as brothers.”

Boston’s Dwight Evans needs only eight homers to reach 300, joining teammates Jim Rice and Don Baylor. The Detroit Tigers of 1972 and ’73 are the only team ever to have three players with 300 or more homers at the same time, Norm Cash, Al Kaline and Frank Howard.

Dale Sveum has been one of the surprise elements in the Milwaukee Brewers’ surprising start. Sveum made a major league-leading 30 errors in 91 games at third base last year, producing the lowest fielding percentage at that position since 1902. Now, forced to play shortstop because of the preseason injury to Earnest Riles, Sveum had not made an error through nine games, was batting .441 and had driven in at least one run in seven straight games.

Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen, by allowing New York and Detroit only two runs in 17 innings, has registered consecutive victories for the first time since the 1985 World Series.

If Oakland A’s Manager Tony LaRussa is managing the A’s when his contract expires after the 1989 season, he will have managed the club for three-plus years--longer than any A’s manager since Connie Mack.

By opening the season with three straight three-game sweeps, the Brewers need only one more to match their 1986 total.

Liveball or dead arms? Through Wednesday, 14 teams had already scored in double figures and there had been one 12-run inning, a 9-run inning, two 8-run innings, three 7-run innings and six 6-run innings.