AROUND THE HORN

„■ Guardians: The Guardians reported no new COVID-19 cases Thursday, a day after an outbreak inside their clubhouse caused a postponement in Chicago and sent manager Terry Francona and five coaches home from a road trip. The team said pitching coach Carl Willis will serve as the club’s acting manager for a three-game series this weekend against the Twins. Willis pitched for the Twins from 1991-95. The Guardians were off Thursday. Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said in a statement that the team will continue to test personnel and conduct contact tracing. Antonetti said Willis “will be supported by other individuals throughout the organization until the members of our coaching staff are able to rejoin the team.” To this point, no players have tested positive with the virus. Francona learned he was positive Wednesday about two hours before the scheduled first pitch. Soon after, Major League Baseball scrapped the Guardians’ series finale against the White Sox — the first postponement in the majors by coronavirus-related issues in 2022 — so more testing could be done. The 63-year-old Francona, who has dealt with major health issues the last two seasons, bussed back to Cleveland on Thursday with coaches and members of the team’s traveling party who also tested positive. The team said Francona has been placed in health and safety protocols along with bench coach DeMarlo Hale, first base coach Sandy Alomar, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, hitting coach Chris Valaika, assistant pitching coach Joe Torres and hitting analyst Justin Toole. The Guardians are expected to bring up some minor league coaches and instructors to fill out the major league staff in the interim. The team said an additional update will be provided Friday before the team’s clubhouse opens in Minneapolis.

■ Mets: Taijuan Walker pitched seven scoreless innings and the Mets remained unbeaten in 10 series this season, cruising past the host Nationals 4-1. Mark Canha went 3-for-4 with a HR and three RBIs for the NL East-leading Mets, who took two of three from the last-place Nationals. The Mets have won nine series and split one, and haven’t lost two straight games in a month. Walker (1-0) allowed three hits, walked one and threw 85 pitches in the longest of his four starts this season, which was interrupted by a stint on the injured list with right shoulder bursitis. Seth Lugo struck out two in the eighth and Edwin Díaz allowed Juan Soto’s two-out HR in the ninth before retiring Josh Bell to complete the four-hitter.

■ Athletics: Seth Brown hit a tiebreaking, two-run HR in the eighth and the visiting A’s beat the Tigers 5-3. Michael Fulmer (1-2) got the first two outs of the eighth, but Jed Lowrie drew a walk and Brown homered to right. The Tigers have lost nine of 10. The A’s came to Comerica Park with a ninegame losing streak, but won four times in an unusual five-game series. The only loss came for the A’s came when they were the official home team in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader — a game they were originally supposed to host before the season’s first series was postponed by the lockout.