AROUND THE HORN
■ A’s: RHP Daniel Mengden tested positive for the coronavirus and is quarantined at home in Houston, where he received the result that forced A's and MLB to postpone four games this week. A's GM David Forst said Thursday that Mengden is asymptomatic and was placed on the 10-day IL. The A's added LHP Mike Minor to the 40-man roster after acquiring him Monday in a trade with the Rangers. The A's had their threegame series in Seattle this week postponed as well as last Sunday's scheduled series finale in Houston, where the A's learned late Saturday of the one positive test. Forst said the A's left Houston in two groups, the second being those who had close contact — up to 15 minutes — with Mengden in the 48-hour window during which he tested positive. The AL Westleading A's will host the Padres beginning Friday.
■ Pirates, Cubs: First-time father Bryan Reynolds hit a three-run HR in his return from paternity leave to lead the host Pirates past the Cubs 6-2. The Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak. Rookie JT Brubaker (1-0) allowed just one earned run on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts in five innings to earn his first victory. Kyle Schwarber, Victor Caratini and Jason Kipnis had two hits apiece for the Cubs, but the NL Central leaders ended a 5-5, 12-day road trip with a thud. ... The Cubs announced a multiyear partnership with DraftKings that includes plans for putting a sportsbook at Wrigley Field or in the Wrigleyville area outside of the park. The Cubs are the first MLB franchise to commit to opening a retail sportsbook on their stadium premises.
■ Phillies: Dick Allen's No. 15 was retired by the Phillies in a ceremony, a long overdue honor for one of the franchise's greatest players who fought against racism during a tumultuous period with the team in the 1960s. The 78-yearold Allen thanked Phillies managing partner John Middleton, who broke from the team's longstanding “unwritten” policy of only retiring the number of players who are in the Hall of Fame. “I thank the city of Philadelphia. Even though it was rough, I've made some friends along the way,” Allen said. Mike Schmidt, the Hall of Fame third baseman who helped lure Allen out of retirement to return to the Phillies for a second stint with the team in 1975, called him “an amazing mentor” who was wrongly labeled a “bad teammate” and “troublemaker.” “Dick was a sensitive Black man who refused to be treated as a secondclass citizen,” Schmidt said in a speech. Schmidt then unfurled a red banner revealing the No. 15 hanging on a brick wall behind the left-field stands at Citizens Bank Park, before the Phillies hosted the Nationals. Allen was a seven-time All-Star, NL rookie of the year in 1964 and AL MVP in 1972 while with the White Sox. He batted .292 with 351 HRs and 1,119 RBIs in 15 seasons. Allen played first base, third base and left field. In addition to the Phillies and White Sox, Allen played for the Cardinals, Dodgers and A's.