NAMES & NUMBERS

In the first 15 games since Kevin Mitchell returned from the disabled list to take his cleanup spot in the San Francisco Giants’ batting order, Will Clark, the No. 3 hitter, batted .416 with five home runs and 16 runs batted in.

“What it shows is how important it is to have all our horses back in the lineup,” batting instructor Dusty Baker said. “With Mitchell behind him, Will has every pitcher catalogued. But with Mitch out, they pitch Will in a totally different way.”

How tough a season has it been for the Giants? Consider that Clark, Mitchell and Matt Williams had not delivered consecutive hits until their 85th game, last Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, which was also the first time in 1991 that they had hit home runs in the same game.

Marvin Freeman, a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, has a fan club that has more members, 30, than his total of major league appearances, 24. It’s called Marvin’s Free-man, and is just that--free.

“All you have to do is love Marvin Freeman,” said Marvin Freeman, who has provided members with his phone number so they can call at any time with any question.

With the trade that sent Ron Darling to the Montreal Expos, the New York Mets retain only four players from their 1986 World Series championship team: Dwight Gooden, Sid Fernandez, Howard Johnson and Kevin Elster.

Said Elster of Darling’s departure: “It’s been like seeing a friend die. It’s been coming for two years, but when it gets here it still stinks. I mean, we’re supposed to say, ‘I’m happy for Ronnie,’ right? That’s a lot of . . . . I’m sad.”

Darling took a shot at Manager Bud Harrelson before leaving, reportedly telling Met General Manager Frank Cashen, in the presence of Harrelson, “You’ve got a guy here who has lost the respect of a lot of people in the clubhouse.”

The New York Yankees opened the second half by winning three of four games from the Angels to sustain a pre-All-Star break drive and move over the .500 mark, but three consecutive losses to the Mariners in Seattle left Don Mattingly questioning his team’s intensity.

“We’re not good enough to just show up, and that’s what we did here,” Mattingly said. “We don’t come to play every day, and it’s been a yearlong thing. You can’t be hot and cold the way Toronto is playing--unless you’re happy to be where we are, happy to be .500.” The Yankees are better than that again after having left Seattle and won three in a row from the Oakland A’s.

The one relief pitcher that the Dodgers or anyone can have simply by picking up the remainder of his $2.050-million 1991 salary is Doug Jones of the Cleveland Indians.

Jones, who used finesse and changes of speed to save 112 games in the last three years, is six for 11 in save chances this year, has allowed eight of 12 inherited runners to score, hasn’t had a save since June 2 and is now the last resort in a bullpen of arsonists.

Chicago Cub shortstop Shawon Dunston, who is eligible for free agency when the season ends, claims that he has heard nothing from the club since rejecting a four-year, $10.6-million offer in January.

“I want to stay with the Cubs, but if they don’t want me, life goes on,” he said. “I’m happy, but I can be happy anywhere. I’m not afraid to test it.”

Bo Jackson, who has begun taking light batting practice and throwing with the Chicago White Sox, is expected to learn today whether he can discard the crutches he still uses 50% of the time.

Even if the verdict is affirmative, it is unlikely that Jackson will be activated until rosters are expanded in September. He has been on a rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues.

“I don’t know where Bo would fit in right now,” said Manager Jeff Torborg, who will certainly find a place, if and when Jackson is ready.