Update on the latest sports
APMLB-SCHEDULE
Phillies complete sweep of Brewers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler struck out eight and tossed three-hit shutout and Alex Bohm homered to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-0 win and four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Phillies head out on a nine-game road trip in first place and as the only team in the NL East with a winning record. Wheeler threw his second career shutout and complete game in 144 starts and first since 2014 when he played for the New York Mets. Wheeler put two runners on in the ninth and got Daniel Vogelbach to foul out on the 118th pitch to end it. Rhys Hoskins added an RBI double in the eighth.
In other MLB action:
— José Altuve responded to jeering fans by marking his 31st birthday with a go-ahead, three-run homer off Chad Green in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 7-4 to avoid a three-game sweep. The Yankees had won five in a row.
— Willie Calhoun’s RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Texas Rangers the lead in a 4-3 victory over the reeling Minnesota Twins. Joey Gallo and Jonah Heim homered for the Rangers. They won their third straight game to match the team’s season-long streak and raised their record to 3-0 in four-game series. The Twins fell to 0-7 in extra innings.
— Taijuan Walker allowed one hit in seven innings, the Mets scored three runs on bases-loaded walks and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Thursday. Walker struck out eight and walked none as the Mets salvaged a split after dropping the first two of a four-game series in St. Louis. New York stranded 17 runners but still won.
MLB-ANGELS-PUJOLS
Albert Pujols cut by Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols has been designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels, abruptly ending the 41-year-old superstar slugger’s decade with his second major league team.
Pujols is fifth in major league history with 667 career homers, and he is 13th in major league history with 3,253 hits. The oldest active player in the majors, he is batting .198 this season with five homers and 12 RBIs.Pujols joined the Angels in late 2011 after 11 successful seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Angels have not won a playoff game during the concurrent tenures of Pujols and three-time AL MVP Mike Trout.
In other player developments:
— Blue Jays outfielder George Springer is not expected to be ready to return to Toronto’s lineup when his stint on the 10-day injured list ends May 13. General manager Ross Atkins says the Blue Jays will likely be out longer. Springer landed on the injured list Wednesday after aggravating his strained right quadriceps. Springer signed a team-record $150 million, six-year deal with the Blue Jays this offseason but didn’t make his season debut until April 28 because of a strained oblique muscle and, later, the quadriceps injury.
— Carlos Carrasco was shifted to the 60-day injured list by the New York Mets, a surprise move that pushes back his season debut until May 28 at the earliest. The 34-year-old right-hander has been sidelined by an injured right hamstring since spring training and had been making progress. He threw a simulated game Tuesday, and the team said Wednesday that Carrasco was starting a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment this weekend. The Mets sent a release announcing the move to the 60-day IL.
MLB-OBIT-CRANDALL
Del Crandall, star Braves catcher and ex-manager, dies at 91
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (AP) — The star Milwaukee Braves catcher and former manager Del Crandall has died. Son Bill Crandall says he had Parkinson’s disease and died Wednesday in Mission Viejo, California.
Crandall was one of the best defensive catchers of the 1950s and early 1960s before managing the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners. Crandall was a member of the Braves’ 1957 World Series championship team as well as the 1958 squad that lost the World Series. He was a four-time Gold Glove winner who appeared in 11 All-Star Games over eight seasons.
Del Crandall was 91 years old.
NHL-RANGERS FINED
NHL fines Rangers $250K for criticizing player safety call
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Rangers have been fined $250,000 by the NHL for criticizing head of player safety George Parros.
The team commented after the league fined but did not suspend Washington’s Tom Wilson for his role in a scrum that injured Rangers star Artemi Panarin. Commissioner Gary Bettman says the extent to which the Rangers expressed their disagreement was “unacceptable.”
NBA-PACERS-DISCIPLINE
Pacers suspend assistant coach, fine Bitadze after dust-up
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers have suspended assistant coach Greg Foster for one game and fined center Goga Bitadze an undisclosed amount following an argument during Wednesday’s loss to Sacramento.
The incident occurred in the third quarter after Bitadze gave up a dunk off a rebound that prompted a scolding from Foster. Bitadze then appeared to curse at Foster after making a 3-pointer. At the next stoppage, Foster and Bitadze had a heated exchange that prompted another player to intervene.
NFL-DOLPHINS MOVES
Dolphins release safety McCain
MIAMI (AP) — Safety Bobby McCain has been released by the Miami Dolphins, who took Jevon Holland of Oregon as a potential replacement in the second round of the draft. Holland is now the front-runner to be paired at safety with veteran Eric Rowe this season.
McCain, who has spent his entire six-year NFL career with Miami, started 15 games last season and has 55 career starts. His release clears $5.6 million in salary cap space for the Dolphins.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
— The Indianapolis Colts have signed five draft picks and five undrafted rookies. Team officials say Indy’s top three draft picks — defensive ends Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo and safety Shawn Davis — have all signed contracts. Paye’s deal is for four years with a fifth-year option. Indy will hold the rights to Odeyingbo, Davis, receiver Mike Strachan and offensive lineman Will Fries for four years. The Colts also have added receivers Tarik Black and Tyler Vaughns, linebacker Anthony Butler, running back Deon Jackson and linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi to the roster while waiving cornerback Will Sunderland.
— The Pro Football Hall of Fame is forming a behavioral health program seeking solutions to mental and behavioral issues for current and former athletes and their families. The program is supported by such hall members as Ronnie Lott, Brian Dawkins, Steve Atwater, Andre Reed and Tim Brown.
NCAA-PRACTICE CHANGES
NCAA proposal will reduce contact in preseason football camp
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — College football teams will be required to hold at least seven padless practices during the preseason and the number of contact practices will be reduced from 21 to 18 under changes proposed by the NCAA’s oversight committee. The football oversight committee’s proposal goes to the Division I Council for approval this month. It is expected to pass and go into effect next season. The changes to preseason practice come after a five-year study of six major college football teams showed players suffered more concussions during preseason practices than during games.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-OKLAHOMA-BRIDGES
Oklahoma WR Bridges, RB McGowan no longer with team
UNDATED (AP) — Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said receiver Trejan Bridges and running back Seth McGowan are no longer with the program. The two were reportedly involved in a local robbery last month.
Riley would not discuss details about the two former players. But he says if certain things happen with players there is no further explanation. McGowan entered the transfer portal on April 29.
PGA-TOUR CHAMPIONS
Darren Clarke shoots 66 to take Regions Tradition lead
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Darren Clarke took the lead Thursday in the Regions Tradition, opening with a 6-under 66 in the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.
The 2011 British Open champion from Northern Ireland had a one-stroke lead over Stephen Ames and Jerry Kelly at Greystone Golf & Country Club. Clarke won his lone senior titles in consecutive starts in early November in Florida and late January in Hawaii. Steve Stricker, the 2019 winner, was among three players two shots back at 68. The tournament was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
