MLB: Rays set win record
The AL East-leading Rays set a franchise record with their 71st win of the season in yesterday’s 11-3 rout of the Mariners, but their division title quest took a hit when they placed outfielder Carl Crawford on the 15-day disabled list. Crawford injured a tendon in his right middle finger making a check swing Saturday night.
The Rays activated outfielder Rocco Baldelli from the 60-day DL and started him in right field, his first game in more than a year because of a mitochondrial disorder, a condition that slows muscle recovery and causes fatigue.
* Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will miss at least two starts and go on the DL because of a stiff right shoulder, manager Terry Francona said. . . . White Sox righty Jose Contreras‘ season is over because of a ruptured left Achilles tendon. . . . The Blue Jays got outfielder Vernon Wells back from the DL before a 4-0 loss to Cleveland, only to lose third baseman Scott Rolen to the 15-day DL after the game with soreness in his left shoulder.
NFL: Leftwich a Steeler
The Steelers signed veteran quarterback Byron Leftwich yesterday, choosing the former Jaguars starter over Daunte Culpepper, a three-time Pro Bowl player. Both QBs worked out for Pittsburgh, which lost backup Charlie Batch to a broken right collarbone in their preseason opener.
* In Berea, Ohio, Browns wideout Braylon Edwards was running a sprint in his socks when fellow receiver Donte Stallworth stepped on the back of his foot and opened a cut that required stitches and a night in the hospital.
NCAA: UCLA’s Olson out
UCLA quarterback Ben Olson broke his foot and will be sidelined for at least two months. Olson, whose career has been marked by injuries, broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during practice on Saturday, and X-rays taken yesterday revealed the fracture. He suffered the same injury during spring practice.
GOLF: Sorenstam falls short
In Stockholm, Sweden, Amy Yang of South Korea spoiled Annika Sorenstam‘s finale on home turf, tying the course record with a 9-under 63 for a six-shot victory at the Scandinavian TPC.
Sorenstam, the tournament host, shot 72 and finished seven strokes back to tie for sixth with three other Swedes.
* In Eugene, Ore., Duke star Amanda Blumenherst won the U.S. Women’s Amateur, rallying to beat NCAA champion Azahara Munoz 2 and 1 in the 36-hole final at Eugene C.C.
* Tommy McDonaugh, a sophomore at Penn State, defeated Joe Saladino of Huntington CC, 6 and 5, to win the Met Amateur championship yesterday in the 36-hole final at Friar’s Head GC in Baiting Hollow, L.I.
NASCAR: Busch wins again
In Watkins Glen, N.Y., Kyle Busch won the Centurion Boats at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win three road course races in one season.