AROUND THE HORN
Phillies: Bryce Harper has a small tear in his right elbow and won’t throw for four weeks, but the reigning NL MVP will stay in the lineup as the Phillies designated hitter. Manager Joe Girardi said Harper will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Sunday and won’t play that day at Dodger Stadium. Harper iss hitting .269 with six HRs and 19 RBIs. The 29-yearold star has spent most of his time at DH this year because of his elbow trouble. The small tear in Harper’s ulnar collateral ligament was revealed during a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles earlier Thursday.
Guardians: The Guardians reported no new COVID-19 cases, 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. 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 team said Francona, 63, was 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.
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 IL.
Astros: Luis Garcia and three relievers combined on a seven-hitter, Yordan Álvarez homered twice and Jeremy Peña capped a big day with three hits as the Astros extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 5-0 road victory over the Twins. The Astros completed a three-game sweep. Before the regularly-scheduled game, the teams completed a game suspended after three innings Wednesday due to severe weather. Jose Altuve homered, doubled and drove in three runs in an 11-3 win. The Astros have given up just 11 runs during the streak with five shutouts.
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.