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On Thursdays during baseball season, we generally get two things. First off, we have games to watch. That's a given, unless it's the All-Star break. Next, we usually get a light schedule.

That's the case on this Thursday, as there are only nine games. We'll just have to make do. The good thing is there's a playoff contender in most of them. We could squint the Marlins into a contender and it leaves but one game without contenders (sorry, Reds and Mets). That's a quality baseball night. Onward. 

Thursday's action

Yankees 9, Orioles 1 (box score)
Cubs 8, Pirates 2 (box score)
Nationals 4, Phillies 3 (box score)
Mets 7, Reds 2 (box score)
Braves 6, Marlins 5 (box score)
Indians 11, White Sox 2 (box score)
Twins 4, Royals 2 (box score)
Padres 3, Cardinals 1 (box score)
Rockies 9, Dodgers 1 (box score)

Make it 15 straight for the Tribe

As you see above, the Indians dominated the White Sox on Thursday night and in doing so won their 15th straight game. And that ... 

... is a Tribe record. It's also, as you see above, the longest win streak since the '02 A's won an AL record 20 in a row. The all-time record belongs to the 1935 Cubs, who won 21 in a row. The 1916 Giants under John McGraw played 27 straight without losing, but a tie against the Pirates keeps that from being a true win streak. 

Regarding Cleveland's recent work, here's this ... 

Thursday night's comfy win pushed their overall run differential to +199, which is tops in all of baseball, and they're now just 2 1/2 games behind the Astros for top seed in the AL. Also, know that the Indians have ripped off these 15 straight wins without Andrew Miller, Jason Kipnis, and Michael Brantley and largely without Danny Salazar. 

As for the road ahead, the Indians host the Orioles for a three-game weekend set and then host the stripped-down Tigers for three more. You know, of course, that anything can happen in a given baseball game, but the Orioles, who have played much better baseball since the break, figure to pose the stiffest challenge. If the Indians make it through this stretch, then they'll try to set the record against the Royals at home on Sept. 14. 

Anyhow, on Thursday night, Corey Kluber struck out 13 -- thus advancing his AL Cy Young cause -- and Tribe hitters homered five times. Know who's good at baseball? The 2017 Cleveland Indians. The 2017 Cleveland Indians are good at baseball. 

Judge passes Robinson, Berger as Yankees roll

Yankees rookie Aaron Judge has had a terrible second half, but he still entered Thursday as one of just eight rookies in history to hit more than 35 home runs in a season in history. The list includes Dodgers rook Cody Bellinger (36) as well. Judge came in with 38 homers on the year, tying him with Wally Berger and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for second-most all-time. 

In the first inning Thursday, he passed them. 

The rookie record for home runs is, of course, Mark McGwire's 49 (1987). It seems pretty unlikely that Judge can get there at this point. The home run Thursday was just Judge's ninth in 50 second-half games and the Yankees only have 23 games remaining. 

Judge did hit 13 home runs in a 20-game span in the first half at one point, though. In one June stretch, he hit nine in 18 games, too. Perhaps he gets that hot again and makes a run at McGwire. If not, this is still one of the best power-hitting rookie seasons of all-time. Given his immense size and this being the year of the home run, it's not altogether surprising.

Judge wasn't alone in having some fun in Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday. Chase Headley, Todd Frazier and Starlin Castro also homered as the Yankees would collect nine runs on 13 hits en route to a blowout win.  

Ender Inciarte -- stealer of bases, gloves

Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte is many things -- solid hitter, Gold Glove-caliber fly-catcher, threat on the bases. He is also, as it turns out, a thief of leather implements. Please regard the long con perpetrated upon Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon on Thursday night in Atlanta: 

Thief of hearts? Probably. Thief of gloves? Most assuredly. As noted in this space, some Hurricane Irma evacuees may have taken advantage of free tickets on this night. If so, then they saw Inciarte doin' some work.

Quick hits