NAMES AND NUMBERS

The Dodgers are 1-10 in one-run games and 0-13 in games they trailed after the sixth inning, strong indications of their limited offense.

What is the return on $29 million? Very little so far. The New York Mets’ Bobby Bonilla was two for 17 with runners in scoring position through Thursday, had only one extra-base hit in his last 17 games and had not hit a home run since he hit two on opening day.

Bill Swift is 6-0 in his transition from Seattle Mariner reliever to San Francisco Giant starter, but he is impressive in another way as well. Swift insists that the clubhouse stereo play only CDs of Frank Sinatra singing Sammy Kahn and Jimmy Van Heusen songs before he pitches.

Add Swift: The 30-year-old right-hander has been one of baseball’s best kept secrets for some time. In 334 innings since the 1989 All-Star break, he has yielded only 80 earned runs for a 2.16 earned-run average.

Having become the 24th player to hit 400 or more home runs, Eddie Murray said: “I think I’ll be more proud of passing Mickey (Mantle) for the most RBIs by a switch-hitter. (Mantle finished with 1,509, Murray has 1,489.) I don’t know if I can catch him in home runs (Mantle had 536). Realistically, I don’t think I can.”

Frank Thomas, the Chicago White Sox first baseman, is back in his 32-homer, 109-RBI groove of last season, and he continues to show discipline at the plate as well, again leading the American League with 31 walks in 27 games.

George Bell, acquired to provide protection behind Thomas, was among the league leaders with 24 RBIs and a .321 average through Saturday. Bell had only two walks, and said: “Frank’s different. I swing at pitches he lets go. I don’t know how he does it. Me, I see the ball and I have to swing.”

Texas Ranger Manager Bobby Valentine and pitching coach Tom House devised a spring plan aimed at curing their pitching staff’s lack of control. Any pitcher walking two consecutive batters in an exhibition game was yanked immediately. It hasn’t worked.

The Rangers, who have already used 16 pitchers, lead the American League in unintentional walks for the seventh consecutive year, with Bobby Witt, Nolan Ryan and Terry Mathews alone having walked 43 in 72 2/3 innings.

House’s rationale: “We know what it’s not. It’s not the information pitchers are receiving, not the manager, not the coaches. I mean, we revamped everything.”

Until Tuesday, the Baltimore Orioles’ Sam Horn, their 6-foot-5, 247-pound first baseman and designated hitter, was one of only two players in baseball history--Hawk Taylor was the other--to have played 300 or more games without a triple, stolen base or sacrifice bunt.

In his 328th game and 879th at-bat, Horn got his triple when Kevin Reimer of the Rangers tripped after making a running catch of his fly ball, somersaulted, and lost possession.

“Give me time and I’ll get the other two,” Horn said of the stolen base and sacrifice bunt.