NAMES AND NUMBERS

In a week dominated by the rechronicling of many of Nolan Ryan’s remarkable statistics, there’s a couple of others of note: His 3-0 loss to Mark Langston and the Angels marked his 60th loss by shutout, five behind Walter Johnson on the all-time list. And since becoming a full-time starter with the Angels in 1972, his bullpens have blown 37 leads they inherited from him. If those leads had been held, Ryan would have 351 victories and be tied for sixth on the all-time list rather than tied for 13th with 314.

One aspect of the Angels’ decision to retire the uniform number of a player not yet retired and install him in their Hall of Fame was that they believed that they couldn’t wait. Two Ryan friends, Gene Autry and Jimmie Reese, are 84 and 90, respectively.

During a summer of decreased attendance, the Angels might have also considered the financial rewards. They drew a season-low 19,127 for Monday night’s opening game of the Texas Ranger series, then 51,401 for the Ryan ceremony.

Based on the club’s rounded off per capita averages of $8.85 per ticket, $1.30 for concessions and 55 cents for parking, the 32,274 attendance increase translated to $345,331 more revenue.

Having traded Tom Candiotti to Toronto and Greg Swindell to Cincinnati in financially motivated moves, the Cleveland Indians seemed devoid of a rotation stopper until Charles Nagy, 25, and in only his second full season, displayed fortitude for the role.

Nagy is 9-3 with a six-game winning streak. He has pitched all six of Cleveland’s complete games, has given up two runs or fewer in 12 of 14 starts, and in the 27 1/3 innings of his last three has 15 strikeouts and no walks. “He’s not just a candidate for the All-Star team, but the Cy Young (award), too,” Manager Mike Hargrove said.

Mike Moore was 4-0 with a 1.51 earned-run average in April but will take a 7-5 record and 5.11 ERA into today’s start against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

The Oakland Athletics are bringing Moore back on three days’ rest, figuring he can’t be tired after lasting only 4 1/3 innings in his last two starts, yielding 13 runs on 13 hits, seven walks, two home runs, two wild pitches and a hit batter.

The A’s believe he has lost location with his forkball. “He’s one of the key things that has to happen for us,” Manager Tony La Russa said. “He has to be a solid starting pitcher again for us to win.”

In the department of misplaced priorities, consider Tim Crews complaining about an official scoring call during the Dodgers’ recent loss in Cincinnati, and Juan Berenguer, unhappy over his lack of save opportunities, asking the Atlanta Braves to trade him at a time when the Braves have been on the roll that produced 17 victories in 20 games through Friday. Berenguer was 17 of 18 in save chances last year but has blown two of three this year.

Tony Gwynn, who has never struck out more than 40 times in any of his 10 seasons and has averaged a mere 27 per season, is en route to a new low. The San Diego Padre outfielder has struck out only five times and only once in his last 175 at-bats.