Jim Thome stops in Philly on his way to Cooperstown  —  Jim Thome never knew the launch angle or the exit velocity of all those baseballs that crashed so violently off his mighty bat during his 22-year career.  —  “You're probably glad you didn't know,” the former Phillies slugger …

Torres built to last as Yankees host Rays  —  NEW YORK — In the last few days, manager Aaron Boone has moved some things around with the lineup for the New York Yankees.  —  He moved Didi Gregorius up to third following a two-homer game Tuesday and slotted Greg Bird seventh.

Gattis does it again: 2 HRs, 5 RBIs in Astros 13-5 win  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) With the two best games of his career coming on consecutive days, designated hitter Evan Gattis has quickly transformed into the Astros' hottest hitter - and their current good luck charm.  —  He's got a franchise record to prove it, too.

Indians looking for series split against White Sox  —  The Chicago White Sox will go for a series win against the Cleveland Indians when the teams square off Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field on Chicago's South Side.  —  Chicago (24-42) has endured a bumpy start to the season …

Column: Cubs need a six-man rotation when Yu Darvish returns  —  Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery discusses his start against the Brewers on Wednesday, June 13, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  That's three straight quality starts and a 1.14 ERA in four starts …

Jacob deGrom trade rumors are a hot topic as NY Mets continue to struggle  —  Jacob deGrom on his outing in the 2-0 loss to the Braves Matt Ehalt, Staff Writer, @MattEhalt  —  ATLANTA — With each loss that pushes the Mets toward becoming sellers this summer, Jacob deGrom will continue to be discussed a potential market changer.

Padres' Relievers Drawing Trade Interest  —  The Padres, unsurprisingly, have already been receiving trade inquirieson their relievers, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic in his latest notes column (subscription required).  Not only is Brad Hand garnering a strong bit of interest …

MLB dads Jeff Trout, Mike Bryant, Brad Scherzer on when they knew their sons would be stars  —  Fathers of five MLB All-Stars — Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer, Nolan Arenado and Justin Upton — reveal the moments they realized their sons had what it takes to make it as pro ballplayers.

Cleveland's bullpen proves the baseball gods are cruel  —  Last year, the 102-win Cleveland Indians were one of the great teams of the modern era: Their starting pitchers had the American League's lowest ERA, their offense scored more runs per game than all but two AL teams, and their defense was …

Iowa Cubs' Marty Pevey to manage in Triple-A All-Star Game  —  Iowa Cubs manager Marty Pevey is headed to the Triple-A All-Star Game.  —  He was selected to manage the Pacific Coast League during the game, which is set to be held on July 11 at Huntington Park.

Death of the hitting pitcher?  MLB's Rob Manfred hints at progress on universal DH  —  Major League Baseball has moved methodically to eliminate many distinctions between the American and National leagues in recent years, and Thursday, Commissioner Rob Manfred indicated there is momentum toward perhaps …

Chris Gimenez on the perils of pitching for position players: ‘The slope will do weird things to your arm’  —  Cubs reliever Steve Cishek discusses playing left field during the eighth inning against the Brewers on Wednesday, June 13, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune

Mets, D-backs headed in opposite directions  —  PHOENIX — As Arizona added another contributor, the New York Mets continued to run into road blocks.  —  Diamondbacks outfielder Jon Jay had hit leadoff in all five of his starts since joining the team in Colorado last week, and he has been good.

Rangers Reaction: Things get weird for Rangers at home plate  —  LOS ANGELES  —  One of the bonuses that comes with being on the board for the Do It For Durrett Foundation is the chance to reconnect with past Texas Rangers players, coaches and executives who are glad to lend their help to the cause.

Nationals owner Ted Lerner, 92, to cede control of club to son Mark  —  Ted Lerner, the Washington real estate magnate who became the owner of the Washington Nationals a dozen years ago, will cede control of the club to his son, Mark, following a vote by Major League Baseball's franchise owners Thursday.

Jones homers in seventh to lead Tigers over Twins, 3-1  —  JaCoby Jones' two-run homer capped a three-run seventh inning as the  —  Detroit Tigers came from behind to beat the  —  Minnesota Twins 3-1 on Thursday afternoon.  —  Jones was hitting .135 in his last 10 games, and had struck out in his first two at-bats before hitting