BASEBALL MISCELLANY : NAMES AND NUMBERS

Suspect: Pitching uncertainty of the type exposed during the World Series still haunts the San Francisco Giants. Don Robinson isn’t expected to throw in a competitive situation for another month because of knee surgery. There is no clear replacement for Craig Lefferts, who saved 20 games and went to the San Diego Padres as a free agent. The all right-handed rotation of Rick Reuschel, Scott Garrelts, Mike LaCoss and Kelly Downs ended the season in disarray. “All four of those guys have to chip in and win 12, 16, 17 games,” Giant Manager Roger Craig said the other day, bravely adding: “I think they can.”

Trade winds: The Atlanta Braves, short on relief, are attempting to send infielder Andres Thomas and a pitcher to the Seattle Mariners for Mike Jackson or to the Boston Red Sox for Lee Smith.

Add relief: Here’s just one of the problems facing Sparky Anderson as he attempts to lead the Detroit Tigers back from the 103 losses of 1989: The 16 pitchers he has in camp produced a total of 10 major league saves last year.

More relief: The St. Louis Cardinals’ Todd Worrell, who had tendon transplant surgery on his right elbow in December, will have arthroscopic surgery to relieve ulna nerve pressure in the elbow on April 6. The optimistic Cardinals still expect him back in July, though Manager Whitey Herzog seemed to ask a pertinent question: “How the hell can he have a second operation and be on the same timetable?”

Storm warning: Now with the Kansas City Royals, Storm Davis took a shot or two at his former manager, Tony La Russa of the Oakland A’s, in a USA Today article Thursday, saying La Russa has a mean streak, and that he (Davis) always received more help from A’s coaches Dave Duncan and Dave McKay. La Russa responded by saying he is proud whenever his coaches receive credit and that some people may confuse competitiveness with meanness.

He and the A’s were more upset by an accompanying quote from Royal pitching coach Frank Funk, who claimed that the addition of Mark Davis gives Kansas City baseball’s best bullpen. La Russa said he still favored Dennis Eckersley and the A’s bullpen. “Some might be as good, but no one has a better bullpen than ours,” he said.

Wise investment: Von Hayes, the Philadelphia Phillies outfielder who might still end up in Anaheim, made a sizable contribution the other day to build and refurbish batting cages at St. Petersburg (Fla.) Community College, where he worked out during the lockout. “You never know,” Hayes told Philadelphia reporters. “We might need them again in four years.”