SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2013 SPORTS Striker woes for England Mast leads Championship Milito set for comeback LONDON: England has a shortage of strikers for Tuesday’s key World Cup qualifier QUEBEC: Dick Mast took the first-round lead on Friday in the ROME: Inter Milan striker Diego Milito says he is close to completing his come- against Ukraine, with Danny Welbeck now suspended for the match in Kiev. Champions Tour’s Montreal Championship, shooting a 3-under 69 in back from injury after scoring in a friendly yesterday. The Argentine, out of action Spearheading the attack on Friday against Moldova, Welbeck earned his second book- windy conditions on La Vallee du Richelieu’s difficult Rouville Course. since suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury during Inter’s Europa League win ing of the qualification campaign during the 4-0 win before scoring twice. The 62-year-old Mast, winless on the 50-and-over tour, had five over CFR Cluj in February, netted in a 2-2 draw with Swiss side Lugano. The yellow card was given in the first half at Wembley Stadium for shooting at goal in birdies and two bogeys. He birdied the first three holes before the “I hope soon to be back at my best, be well and able to the split-second after referee Ivan Kruzliak blew for off- wind picked up. help the manager when he needs it. The worst has side. ¬Å”You can’t always hear the referee’s whistle,” “I got a chance to play four or five holes without a real heavy wind passed, there’s not much time left til I return,” the Welbeck said. “Even then I believe I was onside and I and that’s already an advantage,” Mast said. “You never know when 34-year-old told the Serie A club’s television sta- wanted to put it in the back of the net. The main you are going to get a break, but I did.” It is the first time Mast has had tion. thing is to play your part for the team.” an outright lead in 165 Champions Tour starts. “You’ve got to control “It was brilliant scoring again, it’s the great- England coach Roy Hodgson said the booking your ball in the wind. You’ve got to have a good short game. I made est joy for any attacker. But more than that, it overshadowed the easy win. “I don’t think there’ll some key putts here and there to keep the momentum going.” was good just to get some minutes out on the be too many people, even in the refereeing fraterni- pitch.” Kenny Perry, the Senior Players Championship and US Senior Open ty, who will say that was a clear yellow card,” he said. Milito has scored 73 goals for Inter and is a winner in consecutive tour starts this summer, opened with a 70 on “A 40 yard sprint, a ball that arrives on your foot, a fans’ favorite because of his exploits during their the tree-lined layout. “Interesting day,” Perry said. “I got off to a good split second between the whistle blowing and the treble success in 2010, when under the guidance start but I wasn’t making any birdies. I was hitting the ball nicely and shot. “You’ll have to try very hard to persuade of Jose Mourinho they won the Serie A title, the me that was a booking. He’s out of the that wind was very difficult.” He’s making his first appearance in the Italian Cup and the Champions League. He game. We’ll live with it, deal with it, but event. “People have been wonderful here,” Perry said. “I feel like a rock scored six goals during their successful I’m not prepared to go down that route star. I’ve had so much attention paid to me since I’ve been here. It’s Champions League campaign, includ- that these things happen.”—AP been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to getting out ing two against Bayern Munich in The Manchester United striker had there this weekend.” —AP the final. — Reuters MLB results/standings Red Sox pound Yankees Chicago Cubs 8, Milwaukee 5; Baltimore 4, Chicago White Sox 0; Cleveland 8, NY Mets 1; Boston 12, NY Yankees 8; Philadelphia 2, Atlanta 1; Cincinnati 3, LA Dodgers 2; Miami 7, Washington 0; Detroit 16, Kansas City 2; Toronto NEW YORK: Mike Napoli hit a tying grand slam in the seventh, 6, Minnesota 5; St. Louis 12, Pittsburgh 8; LA Angels 6, Shane Victorino had a go-ahead homer one inning later and the Texas 5; Oakland 7, Houston 5; Seattle 6, Tampa Bay 4; San Boston Red Sox rallied past the New York Yankees 12-8 on Friday Diego 4, Colorado 3; San Francisco 3, Arizona 0. night for their fourth straight victory. Will Middlebrooks homered for the third straight day and American League Boston erased a five-run deficit in another wild game between Eastern Division these longtime rivals. One night earlier, the Yankees took an 8-7 W L PCT GB lead with a six-run seventh - only to lose 9-8 in 10 innings on Boston 86 57 .601 - Victorino’s tiebreaking single. New York has lost consecutive Tampa Bay 77 63 .550 7.5 games when scoring at least eight runs for the first time since Baltimore 75 65 .536 9.5 September 1949, according to STATS. The last time it happened NY Yankees 75 66 .532 10 with both games at home was 1911 against Cleveland. Toronto 65 76 .461 20 Napoli also doubled, singled and walked twice in a perfect Central Division night at the plate. He scored three times, one night after sparking Detroit 82 59 .582 - Boston’s ninth-inning comeback with a two-out single off Mariano Cleveland 75 65 .536 6.5 Rivera. The Red Sox, who have a 71/2-game lead in the AL East Kansas City 73 68 .518 9 over Tampa Bay, have slowed New York’s wild-card charge by win- Minnesota 61 78 .439 20 ning the first two games of a four-game set, improving to 9-5 Chicago White Sox 56 84 .400 25.5 Western Division against New York this year. They have scored 41 runs in their past Oakland 81 60 .574 - three games and won 11 of 13 overall. Texas 80 60 .571 0.5 Alfonso Soriano homered and Brett Gardner hit a two-run LA Angels 66 74 .471 14.5 triple for the Yankees, but Phil Hughes and Boone Logan failed to Seattle 64 77 .454 17 hold an 8-3 lead for Andy Pettitte. New York went hitless after the Houston 47 94 .333 34 fifth inning. Victorino connected for a two-run shot off Preston NEW YORK: Second baseman Dustin Pedroia No. 15 of the Boston Red Sox tags out Alex Rodriguez No. 13 of the National League Claiborne (0-2) in the eighth. Joba Chamberlain walked in a run New York Yankees as he attempted to steal second base during the first inning in an MLB baseball game. —AFP Eastern Division later in the inning, and Stephen Drew made it 12-8 with an RBI sin- and three runs to a Twins team he was a reliever for in 2009. He innings, Nick Swisher hit a grand slam and Cleveland continued its Atlanta 85 55 .607 - gle. Brandon Workman (5-2) threw 1 1-3 hitless innings for the struck out four and walked one. playoff push with a win over New York. Kazmir (8-7) struck out at Washington 71 69 .507 14 win. Philadelphia 64 77 .454 21.5 Jose Reyes reached base all four times and sparked a five-run least one batter in each inning, including the side in the first, third second against Mike Pelfrey (5-11) with an RBI single. Brett Lawrie and sixth. The left-hander, who has been pushed back in the rota- NY Mets 63 76 .453 21.5 ATHLETICS 7, ASTROS 5 hit a two-run single and Moises Sierra followed with a two-run tion for extra rest over the last month, held the Mets to four hits, Miami 53 86 .381 31.5 In Oakland, Josh Donaldson had three hits, including a two- double in that inning. Casey Janssen gave up a home run to rook- allowed no walks and hit a batter in winning for the first time since Central Division run homer in the sixth inning, and Oakland beat Houston to move ie catcher Josmil Pinto in the ninth, but closed it out for his 28th Aug. 4. Swisher’s grand slam came in the eighth and Carlos Pittsburgh 81 59 .579 - into first in the AL West. Jed Lowrie added two hits and two RBIs St. Louis 81 60 .574 0.5 save in 30 tries on a strikeout-caught stealing double play. Santana added two RBIs. Cleveland is two games out of the second for Oakland, which has won six of eight. Yoenis Cespedes and Cincinnati 80 62 .563 2 wild-card spot. The Indians have won three of four on their homes- Nate Freiman had two hits apiece. The A’s grabbed a half-game Chicago Cubs 60 80 .429 21 INTERLEAGUE tand after losing ground in the playoff chase during a 3-6 road trip. lead over the Rangers, who lost 6-5 at the Los Angeles Angels. AJ Milwaukee 60 80 .429 21 INDIANS 8, METS 1 Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler (7-4) allowed three runs in five innings Griffin (13-9) gave up four runs over six innings.