Sale vs. Altuve a matchup of stars taking off

CHICAGO — Baseball never stops being a game of adjustments, even for its high achievers.

Jose Altuve won the American League batting title in 2014, but spent last season getting comfortable with a mechanical change designed to help drive the ball over the outfield more often. Chris Sale set a franchise record for strikeouts last season but went to Spring Training working to pitch deeper into games, even if it meant sometimes pitching to contact.

When Altuve faces Sale in Thursday’s series finale between the Astros and the White Sox, he’ll do so as one of the early frontrunners for the AL Most Valuable Player Award. Sale, 8-0 in eight starts, goes to the mound well positioned to win the Cy Young Award that’s been predicted for him for awhile now.

This is one of those matchups that only comes around every night. But no matter who Altuve is facing, watching him lead off games is one of the best parts of A.J. Hinch’s job.

He praises Altuve’s “superhuman powers” as well as his effervescent personality.

“He’s as fun of a player as I’ve ever been around, in any role,” said Hinch, the Astros’ manager. “As a teammate, now as a manager. Watching him evolve as a hitter has been really, really exciting for me and everybody around us.”

Altuve entered Wednesday batting .338 and lead the AL in runs (37), doubles (17), stolen bases (15) and on-base percentage (.427). But what’s especially exciting is that he had nine home runs, only six fewer than the career-high of 15 from last season.

“The excitement that he brings when the lineup rolls around, the power he’s developing, shows he’s not a one-track hitter,” Hinch said. “He’s a guy who is known for getting hits, but he’s evolving into one who can do damage as well. That’s a pretty exciting offensive player to have at the top of the order.”

Altuve stands only 5-foot-6. He brought back parallels to Wee Willie Keeler when he batted .341 in 2014 to give the Houston …

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