BASEBALL MISCELLANY : RELIEF?

The Dodgers pursuit of a reliable left-handed relief pitcher is now in its fourth year. Steve Howe’s last successful season was 1983, when he saved 18 games. In the three-plus season since then, a succession of left-handers have totaled only seven saves. Howe had three in ’85 before being released. Matt Young has two. Jerry Reuss had two. Carlos Diaz, Rick Honeycutt and Dennis Powell had one each. Ed Vande Berg? He had none.

Jeff Reardon came to the Minnesota Twins with the nickname “The Terminator” because of his effectiveness in terminating late inning threats as the Montreal Expos relief ace. The Minnesota media is now calling Reardon “The Equalizer.”

Reardon had blown 4 of 12 save opportunities and permitted 19 earned runs in 17 innings before recording his 9th save Saturday. In the 5 innings of his previous 6 appearances, he had allowed 12 earned runs, 10 hits and 7 walks. Left-handers in that span were 6 for 12 against him with 4 home runs, including grand slams by Fred Lynn and Mike Pagliarulo. Of the last 12 runners he inherited, 11 scored.

Reardon could at least laugh at himself. He said that a 13-year-old had taken a picture of him on camera day at the Metrodome last Sunday, then told him: “I’m going to take it home and throw darts at it.”

Don Aase, who saved 34 games for the Baltimore Orioles last year, registered his first save of 1987 in the Orioles’ 37th game. It was in the 37th game last year that he registered his ninth save. Aase, who had his second save Saturday in the Orioles’ 42nd game, has been sidelined with tendinitis in his right shoulder, requiring shots of cortisone and Novocaine. For the time being, it takes him twice as long to warm up, thus the trade for Tom Niedenfuer.