Daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Saturday  —  We've officially hit the second half of the MLB season, with more than half of 2018's games now in the books.  To celebrate, we have a smorgasbord of hurlers, ranging from Chris Sale and Justin Verlander at the top …

MLB: Yu Darvish heads to Texas for opinion on sore triceps muscle  —  Yu Darvish went to Texas to get another opinion on the sore triceps muscle that flared up again in a bullpen session on Thursday.  —  The setback ended plans for the right-hander's return to the Chicago Cubs rotation this weekend.

Detroit Tigers' Ron Gardenhire unsure if he'll speak to Chris Bosio again  —  TORONTO — Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire hasn't spoken to fired pitching coach Chris Bosio and isn't sure when or if he will again.  —  Gardenhire initially said he wasn't going to say much about the latest …

Rays face another tough Astros pitcher — Cole  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays were beaten by the slimmest of margins in the series opener, and the Houston Astros' dominating starting pitching gets another chance to showcase itself at Tropicana Field on Friday night.

Want to keep benches from clearing?  Change rule, Jim Riggleman and Joey Votto say  —  Reds manager Jim Riggleman says there's one way to avoid the bench-clearing brawl like they did Thursday night in the Reds game with the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  “I wish we had the hockey rule,” Riggleman said.

Midseason awards, bad All-Star positions and MLB's next big thing  —  At some point Friday evening, the 1,215th final score of the 2018 Major League Baseball championship season will be entered in the logs.  It's the natural halfway point — peak baseball — when we have as many games behind us as we do ahead.

Prodigal Panda: Pablo Sandoval enjoying renaissance with Giants  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Pablo Sandoval's loud banter resonates often throughout the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse.  Fans at AT&T Park greet the announcement of his name cheerfully.  Some teammates wear T-shirts bearing his likeness.

Addison Russell grand slam gives Cubs lead over Twins  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Addison Russell's arching grand slam in the fifth inning gave the Cubs a 6-5 lead over the Twins on a sweltering day at Wrigley Field.  —  The Twins struck first on Joe Mauer's three-run, opposite field home run …

Eddie Butler to join Iowa Cubs on rehab assignment  —  Triple-A baseball came to Des Moines in 1968 with the Iowa Oaks, and the Iowa Cubs have carried the torch since 1982.  Here's a collection of some of the biggest names and best players during that time.  Mark Marturello and Michael Zamora/The Register

Yankees, Mets talking trade, but will it lead anywhere before July 31 trade deadline?  —  NEW YORK - In the summer of 2016, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he “called everybody” about the availability of his two best relievers, Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller.  —  That included the Red Sox and Mets.

Kris Bryant's injury eases the Cubs' Albert Almora Jr.-Ian Happ debate  —  Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. on Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw's exit: ‘It worked for our favor’ (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  In assessing the Albert Almora Jr.-Ian Happ situation …

Padres happy to be back home vs. Pirates  —  SAN DIEGO — There will be a double homecoming Friday night at Petco Park.  —  Right-hander Joe Musgrove, who was born and raised 20 minutes east of San Diego in El Cajon, will be facing the Padres for the first time as the starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Seranthony Dominguez proves he has the short memory required to be an excellent reliever |  Extra Innings  —  Aaron Nola did it again.  For the seventh time in 11 starts, the Phillies' ace righthander allowed fewer than two runs.  His latest gem — a 114-pitch mastery of the Nationals …

Next Slide  —  Detroit Tigers right-handed pitching prospect Alex Faedo took the latest questions about his velocity dip in stride.  He said he was asked similar questions early in 2017 as a junior at Florida, before being named Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series.