Jose Altuve is a magician whose brilliance should be treasured  —  Jose Altuve is the reigning American League MVP, he leads the majors with a .343 batting average, the Houston Astros are having a terrific season ... and yet we've hardly talked about him and that seems a little weird.

Yolmer Sanchez is the White Sox's prankster, but he's also the ‘super-utility guy’ of the future  —  White Sox great Frank Thomas praises third baseman Yolmer Sanchez and says Sanchez has caught his eye the last two years.  (Phil Thompson/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune

Who will Cubs manager Joe Maddon turn to with a late-inning lead?  —  Cubs closer Brandon Morrow expects to be back in a week from back spasms that landed him on the disabled list.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs may not need a replacement closer …

Detroit Tigers, Royals to play at College World Series site in 2019 … CONNECT  —  Next season, the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will play a regular season game at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., in conjunction with the 2019 College World Series, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Freeland faces Matz in Rockies-Mets finale  —  DENVER — Two left-handers who have been very successful lately will square off Thursday when Kyle Freeland starts for the Colorado Rockies against Steven Matz of the New York Mets.  —  The Rockies will be looking to win the four-game series …

Twins look to complete sweep of Red Sox  —  After earning a victory for the first time in 12 starts in his last outing, Minnesota Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson will try to make it two in a row Thursday afternoon as the Twins look to finish off a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Phillies' Jake Arrieta has no problem with boos |  Extra Innings  —  Yes, it's a bit early to say Odubel Herrera is the next Vladimir Guerrero.  It's also a bit early to start looking at playoff standings.  But it's not too early to say the Phillies are in a much better spot than they were last season.

Back to back to back: 3 straight HRs propel Astros to win  —  It was a welcome display of power for a team which managed just five singles in a 2-1 loss to the Rays on Tuesday night that snapped Houston's 12-game winning streak.  Wednesday night's win made the Astros the first team to reach 50 victories this season.

Bumgarner hopes for progress as Giants host Padres  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner's comeback from a broken finger continues Thursday night when the San Francisco Giants open a four-game series against the San Diego Padres and a pitcher with whom they are quite familiar, Tyson Ross.

Texas Rangers option Ricardo Rodriguez back to minors without appearing in game  —  MINNEAPOLIS - Well, that was brief.  —  Ahead of the likely return of reliever Chris Martin from a calf injury, the Rangers optioned right-handed reliever Ricardo Rodriguez back to Triple-A Round Rock …

Phillies rookie Austin Davis becomes Roy Halladay's first pupil to reach the major leagues  —  Austin Davis was 1,000 miles from Citizens Bank Park — and perhaps even farther in his mind — when he walked into Roy Halladay's office last spring and dropped himself into the black recliner.

Albert Almora Jr. sits in opener of four-game series against Reds  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Albert Almora Jr., who has climbed to third in the National League batting race with a .324 average, gets the day off Thursday in the opener of a four-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Thumbs up for Braun as Brewers host Cardinals  —  MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun is expected to be back in Milwaukee and available Thursday night when the Brewers open a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park.  —  Braun left the team Thursday morning for Los Angeles …

Scherzer looks to end rare skid as Nats face Orioles  —  WASHINGTON — Their winning streak against the Baltimore Orioles ended, the Washington Nationals will turn to Max Scherzer on Thursday night as they look to win the three-game series against the team with the worst record in baseball.

Next Slide  —  CINCINNATI — The Detroit Tigers arrived in the Queen City just one game below the .500 mark, riding high on a five-game winning streak with their two best pitchers scheduled to start against an otherwise lowly Reds team.  —  They leave three games under, hurt by the long ball …

Phillies pitching prospect Cole Irvin is a former major-league groundskeeper  —  ALLENTOWN — Cole Irvin can still hear the roar of the crowd from his major-league debut as he stepped in front of a full stadium for the first time.  —  He was nervous, the Phillies pitching prospect conceded …

This Date In Baseball  —  1925 — The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 24-6 with Kiki Cuyler and Pie Traynor each hitting a grand slam and Max Carey getting two hits in the first and eighth innings.  —  1930 — Lou Gehrig hit three home runs to lead the New York Yankees …