NAMES AND NUMBERS

The American League West was expected to be the best in baseball this season, because all seven teams finished at .500 or better last year. It hasn’t happened.

Three of the seven teams--the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and Angels--were 42 games under .500, and the other four--the Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers--were 36 over.

* The Twins have recovered nicely from the loss of Jack Morris. Their rebuilt rotation could feature three 10-game winners--John Smiley, Kevin Tapani and Bill Krueger--by the All-Star break. A fourth, Scott Erickson, is back in his first-half form of last year, having gone seven innings or more in winning each of his last three starts before going nine innings to no decision in Saturday’s game against Baltimore. And a fifth, Willie Banks, their No. 1 draft choice in 1987, might have arrived. Banks is 3-1, contributing to an overall record of 6-3 by the No. 5 starters.

* Given the option of a fresh start, the new Seattle owners have brought back Chuck Armstrong, club president under George Argyros, in the same capacity, and indicated they will retain General Manager Woody Woodward, who got a contract extension from former owner Jeff Smulyan last year through 1994.

Woodward says the new owners have not yet revealed how much they are willing to spend. They will be put to a quick test. Second baseman Harold Reynolds is eligible for free agency, and Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Erik Hansen and Mike Schooler are eligible for arbitration.

* The Baltimore Oriole starters are 4-10 in their last 20 games, and Manager John Oates decided to shake up the rotation for the first time this season. Spot starter Jose Mesa, who has given up 13 earned runs in the 22 innings of his last four starts, is out, as is No. 4 starter Bob Milacki, who has yielded 18 earned runs in the 15 2/3 innings of his last four.

Milacki might replace Mesa in the spot role but has been replaced in the No. 4 spot by Storm Davis, who once was predicted to become the successor to Jim Palmer, but who started started for the Orioles on Saturday for the first time since 1986.

Davis learned of his new assignment in a strange way.

Oates told him he was in the rotation when Davis reached the mound after being brought in to replace Milacki during the fifth inning of Monday night’s 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I’ve been greeted in a lot of different ways, but that was the most different yet,” Davis said.

* He won’t be voted in by the fans, but outfielder Ron Gant of the Atlanta Braves probably will be added to the National League All-Star team for the first time. He isn’t happy that it has taken this long.

“I go out on the field every night mad,” he said. “It makes me want to prove to everyone I’m a good player. A lot of other players don’t hype themselves, but still get recognized for their accomplishments. Why do I have to (hype myself)? My play and numbers speak for themselves.”