AROUND THE HORN
MLB: Del Crandall, a star catcher who played on two Milwaukee Braves teams that reached the World Series in the 1950s before managing the Brewers and Mariners, died Wednesday. He was 91. Crandall had Parkinson’s disease. Crandall was one of the best defensive catchers in the 1950s and ’60s. He was a member of the Braves’ 1957 World Series championship team as well as the 1958 squad that lost the World Series. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, Crandall was the last surviving member of the Boston Braves. He was a four-time Gold Glove winner who appeared in 11 All-Star Games over eight seasons. Crandall played for the Boston Braves (1949-50), Milwaukee Braves (195363), Giants (1964), Pirates (1965) and Indians (1966). He didn’t play in 1951-52 because of military service. He had a career batting average of .254 with 179 homers and 657 RBIs. He led all NL catchers in fielding percentage four times and threw out the most potential base stealers of any NL catcher in five seasons. After his playing career, Crandall managed the Brewers from 1972-75 and the Mariners from 1983-84.
Astros: José Altuve responded to jeering fans by marking his 31st birthday with a go-ahead, threerun HR off Chad Green in the eighth, and the Astros beat the host Yankees 7-4 on Thursday to avoid a threegame sweep. The Yankees lost for the first time in six games. Yordan Álvarez hit a pair of solo HRrs off former Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole in the victory. Yankees fans held critical signs and booed the Astros throughout the series, anger lingering from the sign-stealing scandal that revealed the Astros stole signs with a video camera en route to the 2017 World Series title — which include a seven-game win over the Yankees in the ALCS.
Indians: Triston McKenzie bounced back from a rugged start to pitch one-hit ball into the sixth and the Indians completed a four-game sweep by blanking the Royals 4-0. It was the fifth straight loss for the Royals, who came into the series with the best record in baseball. The Indians went 6-1 on their road trip and have won nine of 11. Franmil Reyes launched his eighth HR as he continued to hit well at Kauffman Stadium. He’s batting .538 (14-for-26) with two HRs, six doubles and six RBIs in seven career games at the park.
Phillies: Zack Wheeler struck out eight and tossed a three-hit shutout and Alex Bohm homered to lead the Phillies to a 2-0 win and four-game sweep of the Brewers. The Phillies head out on a nine-game road trip in first place (17-15) and as the only team in the NL East with a winning record. Wheeler (3-2) threw his second career shutout and complete game in 144 starts and first since 2014 when he played for the Mets.
Mets: Taijuan Walker allowed one hit in seven innings and the Mets scored three runs on bases-loaded walks to beat the host Cardinals 4-1. Walker (2-1) struck out eight and walked none as the Mets salvaged a split after dropping the first two of the four-game series. The Mets won despite leaving 17 runners on base, tying a team record for a nine-inning game . ... The Mets shifted RHP Carlos Carrasco to the 60-day IL, a surprise move that pushes back his season debut until May 28 at the earliest. Carrasco, 34, has been sidelined by an injured right hamstring since spring training and had been making progress.
Extra innings: Willie Calhoun’s RBI single in the 10th gave the Rangers the lead in a 4-3 road victory over the reeling Twins, who fell to 0-7 in extra innings this year. The Rangers won their third straight, while the Twins hit their fourth losing streak of three games or more this season . ... Franchy Cordero came off the bench with three hits to snap an 0-for-25 slump, then brought home the game-winning run in the eighth with the help of the Tigers’ fourth error, and the host Red Sox held on after blowing three previous leads to win 12-9 . ... Randal Grichuk homered, doubled and drove in five runs to lead the visiting Blue Jays to a 10-4 victory over the A’s. The Jays earned a split of the four-game series.