NAMES AND NUMBERS

--The Thursday no-hitter by Tommy Greene of the Philadelphia Phillies simply underscores the remarkable job that Jim Fregosi has done with a suspect pitching staff since becoming manager. The same Philadelphia staff that had a 4.69 earned-run average under Nick Leyva had a 2.69 ERA for Fregosi through Greene’s no-hitter, which gave the new manager a 16-11 record.

--Kirk Gibson, who had a .190 average in Royals Stadium as a member of the Detroit Tigers, is hitting .166 there as the Royals’ $3.6-million free agent.

--Another aspect of the Atlanta Braves’ development is the maturing of left-handed relief pitcher Kent Mercker, who had been called on 16 times through Friday and retired the first batter he faced every time. Left-handers are 1 for 18 against him.

--The Chicago White Sox got the base stealer in Tim Raines, but Ivan Calderon continues to make that trade look like a steal in favor of the Montreal Expos. Calderon was batting .435 with runners in scoring position through Friday and was tied for fourth in the National League in runs batted in.

--The National League expansion committee, scheduled to reveal its two choices at an owners’ meeting June 12 in Santa Monica, is concerned about the inability of the Washington group to put together a debt-free ownership structure and has moved the D.C. bid into the also-ran category with Buffalo and Orlando, Fla., according to sources.

Denver, Miami and Tampa-St. Petersburg are said to be still alive, and it is believed that the Orlando and Washington groups will now concentrate on the possibility of buying and moving the Houston Astros.