BASEBALL MISCELLANY

You want bizarre games?

1--The Milwaukee Brewers trailed the Cleveland Indians, 8-0, after one inning Tuesday night at Milwaukee. The final: Milwaukee 12, Cleveland 9.

It was a remarkable comeback that was even more remarkable considering the Brewers were playing without first baseman Billy Jo Robidoux, who is on the disabled list with a strained knee; third baseman Paul Molitor, on the DL with a torn hamstring; left fielder Mike Felder, on the DL with a pulled hamstring, and center fielder Robin Yount, nursing a strained wrist.

2--The Pittsburgh Pirates trailed the Houston Astros, 2-0, entering the ninth inning at the Astrodome Tuesday night. Nolan Ryan was working on a two-hitter, having struck out nine. The Pirates had lost 10 straight decisions to Ryan, having last beat him May 16, 1971. They were 0-6 in the Astrodome against him. Moreover, they were 0-15 in games that they trailed entering the ninth inning this season after going 0 for 1985. The final: Pittsburgh 4, Houston 2.

Ryan lost when he yielded a three run homer to ex-Angel Mike Brown, who later said: “I still don’t believe it. I don’t know what to say.”

Oakland A’s second baseman Tony Phillips went 10 for 13 in a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles to move among the American League’s hitting leaders. Phillips, an underrated player who batted .280 last year, said:

“I don’t really want to think about it. An umpire (John Shulock) told me I was playing unconscious, and I told him that’s the way I want to stay. He said, ‘Tony, what tree are you living in?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, but I don’t want to fall out of it.’ ”

The Dave Stieb autobiography, “Tomorrow I’ll Be Perfect,” was released Thursday. Will his tomorrow ever come? The Toronto right-hander is 0-6 with a 6.83 earned-run average amid speculation he has a bad elbow. A bad head may be more accurate. Stieb continues to blame teammates for his mistakes. He lit into center fielder Lloyd Moseby after a 6-4 loss to Cleveland on Monday night. Moseby had missed catching a Mel Hall drive on the warning track.

Stieb: ‘I’ve seen Lloyd make that catch lots of times, but he didn’t catch this one. I believe it was because I was out there.”