Off the wire

BASEBALL Astros extend Altuve

The low-budget Houston Astros have made an investment in their future, signing second baseman Jose Altuve to a four-year contract through 2017. Altuve’s deal with Houston announced Saturday covers his arbitration-eligible years and includes club options for 2018 and 2019. If the options aren’t exercised, he would be eligible for free agency after the 2017 season. Altuve, 23, was an All-Star in 2012. He is hitting .280 with 15 doubles, 3 home runs and 28 RBI this season. The 5-foot-5 Altuve has become a fan favorite and one of the few bright spots on a team which has slogged through consecutive 100-loss seasons and looks to be headed for a third one this season. He made his major league debut in July 2011 and blossomed last season when he hit .290 with 34 doubles, 7 home runs and 33 stolen bases. Altuve, the youngest everyday second baseman in the majors, was Houston’s minor league player of the year in 2011 when he led the minors with a .389 average before being called up to the Astros. He has appeared in 287games since being called up.

Jeff Locke’s back forced the issue of whether the left-hander would pitch in next week’s All-Star game. The Pittsburgh Pirates starter will miss today’s game against the New York Mets and sit out the midsummer classic after his back tightened up during a 2-1 loss to Oakland on Tuesday. Gerrit Cole will start in Locke’s place against the Mets and National League Manager Bruce Bochy will have to find a replacement for Locke on the 34-man All-Star roster. Locke, 25, has been one of the biggest surprises for one of baseball’s most surprising teams. He emerged from a heated battle during spring training to make the team as the fifth starter and has flourished. He is 8-2 in 18 starts and his 2.15 ERA ranks second in the majors behind Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

BASKETBALL Mavericks sign Ellis

The Dallas Mavericks have made their biggest free agent signing in a busy off season, adding shooting guard Monta Ellis to a back court that’s still crowded even after a couple of setbacks. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said in an email Saturday that Ellis has agreed to a contract. It is reportedly a three-year deal valued between $25 million and $30 million. Ellis, 27, figures to start alongside point guard Jose Calderon, another free agent who signed a four-year, $29 million deal. He averaged 19.2 points with Milwaukee last season.

SOCCER U.S. beats Cuba

Chris Wondolowski scored two more goals to raise his total to five in two matches as the United States beat Cuba 4-1 to make the Gold Cup quarterfinals Saturday in Sandy, Utah. Landon Donovan converted his second penalty kick of the tournament for his 53rd international goal, Joe Corona got his first international goal and Stuart Holden made his first start in nearly three years for the U.S., which has reached the quarterfinals of all 12 Gold Cups. Wondolowski scored a first-half hat trick in Tuesday’s 6-1 victory over Belize, when his jersey was misspelled “Wondowlowski.” He started this match with his name spelled correct, but on the bench. He replaced Herculez Gomez early in the second half and scored the final two goals in the 66th and 85th minutes. Superstitious, he had an extra “W” stitched on the inside of his jersey. Before a crowd of 17,597 at Rio Tinto Stadium, Jose Ciprian Alfonso put Cuba ahead in the 36th minute. He beat defender Oguchi Onyewu to a cutback pass from Ariel Martinez, and scored. Also Saturday, Costa Rica qualified for the Gold Cup quarterfinals with a tight 1-0 victory over Belize. An own goal in the 49th minute by Dalton Leily was enough for Costa Rica to win its second match and pull level with the United States on six points in Group C. Costa Rica plays the United States in the final pool game Tuesday.

TENNIS

Sharapova hires Connors

Maria Sharapova has hired Jimmy Connors as her new coach. A day after announcing she was parting with Thomas Hogstedt, Sharapova posted on her website Saturday that she would work with the eight-time major champion. Connors coached Andy Roddick for two years before resigning in 2008. He briefly worked with Sharapova before the 2008 Australian Open. Hogstedt coached Sharapova for nearly three years. She said Friday he wouldn’t be able to travel in the near future and they agreed she should find a new coach. The second-ranked Sharapova was upset in the second round at Wimbledon this year.

MOTOR SPORTS Dixon wins at Toronto

Long after Scott Dixon raised the winner’s trophy for the second week in a row, controversy and comedy hung over the first of two races through the streets of Toronto. What was certain was that Dixon’s victory Saturday at Exhibition Place was the 31st of his career and moved him into a tie for seventh all-time with teammate Dario Franchitti, Sebastien Bourdais and Paul Tracy. It was also official that Bourdais finished second for his first podium since the 2007 Champ Car season. He didn’t get much of a celebration, though: His trophy slipped off the pedestal and smashed into thousands of pieces. So he raised the biggest chunk he could find in triumph on a podium shared with Dixon and third place finisher Franchitti. Then right before the traditional champagne spray, the party turned serious: IndyCar had stripped Franchitti of his finish for blocking Will Power on the final restart. Franchitti’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing appealed the penalty, and the driver was summoned before series officials at least an hour after the race. It left the final finishing order undecided for two hours as the Ganassi team presented data from the incident. The end result? Almost two hours after the race, Franchitti was returned to his third-place finish. IndyCar gets to do it all over again today in the second of three doubleheader weekends on this year’s schedule. Dixon will be trying to make it three in a row, just a week after picking up his first victory of the season at Pocono.

HORSE RACING Boisterous wins Man o’ War

Boisterous rallied to beat Twilight Eclipse by 2¼ lengths on Saturday in the $600,000 Man o’ War Stakes on the turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Boisterous, a 6-yearold, gave trainer Shug McGaughey a repeat victory in the Man o’ War. He won the 1 3/8 miles stakes last year with Point of Entry.

At Betfair Hollywood Park, Book Review rallied to win the $200,000 A Gleam Handicap by 2 1/2 lengths and earn a berth in the Breeders’ Cup. Book Review ran 7 furlongs in 1:22.75 under Rafael Bejarano. Also at Hollywood Park. Emollient, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Mike Smith, won the $350,000 American Oaks by a half-length. Emollient ran 1¼ miles in 2:02.38 in her debut on turf. In the $150,500 Hollywood Juvenile Championship, Alpine Luck, ridden by Gary Stevens, won by a half-length, running 6 furlongs in 1:11.44. In the $150,500 Landaluce Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, She’s a Tiger, ridden by Frank Alvarado, won by three-quarters of a length.

In East Rutherford, N.Y., heavily favored Captaintreacherous took the lead early and won the $635,000 Meadowlands Pace to remain unbeaten this year. Ridden by Tim Tetrick, Captaintreacherous paced the mile for 3-year-olds in 1:48.1, winning for the sixth time in as many starts this year. It was his 14th victory in 16 career starts.