HOUSTON -- Astros manager A.J. Hinch discussing his near-decision to rest second baseman Jose Altuve on Wednesday made for an amusing anecdote in the aftermath of another Houston victory over the Angels and yet another scorching performance from the red-hot Altuve at the plate.With the Astros (42-37) set to host the White Sox (40-39) and kick off a 10-game homestand that will close the unofficial first half of the season, they come equipped with arguably the hottest hitter in the American League. Altuve finished 4-for-5 and a home run short of the cycle in the series finale against the Angels, the second time during the Astros six-game roadie that he finished just shy of a cycle.Altuve posted a .420/.492/.620 slash line over 26 games in June and served as the key cog fueling the Astros 18-8 record. Altuve has played in every game this season and carried a 32-game on-base streak into July. Although the Rangers maintain an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL West, the Astros have roared back into wild card contention with their upcoming stretch at Minute Maid Park -- where theyve won 12 of 14 games -- looming large as a jumping off point for the second half.The indefatigable Altuve remains the catalyst despite the fatigue.At some point this homestand Im committed to giving him a couple days (off), Hinch said. Hes going to have a busy All-Star break, but if he continues to go like this, players dont want to come out very often.Right-hander Mike Fiers (5-3, 4.41 ERA) gets the ball for the Astros on Friday. Fiers did not pitch when Houston visited Chicago from May 17-19, and has two no-decisions and a 1.32 ERA in two starts against the White Sox.White Sox right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (1-3, 5.17 ERA) makes his 11th start (12th appearance) for Chicago having gone 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA while working only 15 1/3 innings over his previous three starts. Gonzalez is 1/3 with a 3.60 ERA in five career starts against the Astros.After winning 17 of 25 games in April, the White Sox posted back-to-back losing months. However, their 6-5 victory over the Twins on Thursday sealed their third consecutive series victory.White Sox left fielder Melky Cabrera will be sidelined for the series opener against the Astros and could miss the entire set after being prescribed with rest to combat a sprained right wrist suffered June 18.With Cabrera out, the White Sox recalled third baseman Matt Davidson, who served as the designated hitter Thursday and finished 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored, from Triple-A Charlotte. Davidson hit .268 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI for the Knights. He is the 15th player promoted from Charlotte this season and will spell third baseman Todd Frazier and first baseman Jose Abreu at the corner infield positions whenever Cabrera returns.Hes been swinging it pretty good in Charlotte, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Davidson. What happened to him in his journey, last year he struggled and I think hes just in a better spot than hes ever been and understands himself better. I think hes gotten over that, trying to impress and trying to do too much and the pressure that come with that.Even in spring training he was in a great spot and that whole experience has helped him for right now.Cheap Giants Jerseys . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. Authentic Custom Giants Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. http://www.customsfgiantsjersey.com/custom-mel-ott-jersey-large-79f.html .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Giants Jerseys China .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Wholesale Custom Giants Shirts . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals.MIRABEL, Quebec – For the second year in a row, Andrew Ranger gave the hometown crowd at Circuit ICAR something to cheer about as the Quebec native roared to the victory Sunday in the Jiffy Lube 100 presented by Snap-On. The two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion from Roxton Pond, Quebec, withstood a late restart to go wire-to-wire for the win - his 17th career series victory and 14th on a road course. Ranger had set a track record on the 2.113-mile airport road course Saturday in winning the pole. He appeared to have his No. 27 La Cite De Mirabel Dodge on cruise control as he held command throughout Sundays 30-lap event. Scott Steckly, who started third on the grid, held off teammate L.P. Dumoulin for second at the finish. J.R. Fitzpatrick and Jeff Lapcevich were fourth and fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were D.J. Kenniington, Kerry Micks, J.ddddddddddddF. Dumoulin, Martin Roy and rookie Alex Guenette. After four of 12 races, Kennington has a two-point lead on L.P. Dumoulin and three over Lapcevich. Fitzpatrick moved up to fourth, and Jason Hathaway dropped to fifth after late mechanical problems Sunday prevented a top-10 finish. Prior to Sunday, Ranger had registered the most recent wire-to-wire win in the series in 2011. The Jiffy Lube 100 presented by Snap-on is slated to be televised on TSN on Friday, July 26, at 11am et/8am pt; on RDS2 on Friday, July 26, at 11pm et/8pm pt; and on RDS on Saturday, July 27, at 10am et/7am pt It marks the first of three Quebec appearances this season for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1. Next on tap is the A&W 300 at Motoplex Speedway and Event Park in Vernon, British Columbia on July 13. ' ' '