Belgium striker Christian Benteke was ruled out of the World Cup after rupturing his Achilles tendon in training with English Premier League team Aston Villa on Thursday. Benteke will undergo surgery and "will be out for a minimum of six months," Villa said in a statement. It is a major blow for Belgiums chances in Brazil, with the 23-year Benteke having been battling with Romelu Lukaku to be the teams main striker. "Wishing you all the strength you need," Belgium captain Vincent Kompany said on Twitter, "and I hope you will recover quickly! Were all with you together." Belgium, which has emerged as one of the top teams in Europe in recent years, is well stocked in most departments in its squad but has a dearth of proven, all-out strikers. The powerful Benteke is Villas top scorer in this campaign with 11 goals, although he has struggled to recapture the form that made him one of the Premier Leagues most lethal strikers last season. Fitness permitting, Lukaku and Benteke would have been fierce rivals to start in Belgiums opening Group H game against Algeria on June 17, especially after Lukakus superb season with Everton on loan from Chelsea. Russia and South Korea are the other teams in the group. "Its a terrible blow both for Christian and for the club," Villa manager Paul Lambert said. "He will miss the rest of the season, obviously, and also the World Cup. "But hell work hard because thats what he does and hell come back for us stronger than ever next season." Lukaku has scored six goals in 18 games for Belgium. Custom Chicago White Sox Jerseys .Carla Fontes hadnt cut her hair since intermediate school, but her coach at Waiakea High School, Stan Haraguchi, thought the locks flowing below her waist were interfering with the sport. White Sox Jerseys 2020 . -- The Minnesota Twins have granted relief pitcher Matt Guerrier his unconditional release, making the 35-year-old right-hander a free agent. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . Last year, Matt Kuchar closed with a 4-under 68 to beat Kevin Chappell by two strokes for his second win of the 2013 season and sixth of his career. Chicago White Sox Gear .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Stitched White Sox Jerseys . -- C.J. Cron hit an RBI single on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues, doubled his second time up and hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.WASHINGTON - Sure seems as if Max Scherzer and his wife now will be able to afford to buy themselves at least one of those nonstick baking sheets they were hoping to receive as a wedding gift.Or even a few million of em.The 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner will become the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in major league history after agreeing to a $210 million, seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals that includes a record $50 million signing bonus.A person familiar with the negotiations outlined the terms to The Associated Press on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal hadnt been announced. It creates a formidable rotation for the Nationals — who could try to boost the rest of their roster by trading one of their other starters.Washington is now the 4-1 favourite to win the World Series, down from 6-1 odds when the off-season started.Scherzers signing bonus tops the previous high of $30 million for any player, given by the Cubs to pitcher Jon Lester this off-season. Scherzer plans to establish residency in Florida, which would shield his signing bonus from D.C. income tax, the person familiar with the negotiations said.The person said the pitcher is scheduled to take a physical Tuesday, one of the steps needed for the deal to be finalized.Scherzer, who spent the past five seasons with the Detroit Tigers before becoming a free agent, will receive the money from the Nationals spread out over 14 years, which lowers its present-day value.Still, Scherzer did quite well for himself. Indeed, he and his bride — they were married in November 2013 — wont have to depend on their friends to finish filling the requests on their bridal registry at Crate & Barrel, including the pair of $19.95 baking sheets that no one gave them.The 30-year-old right-handers contract is the second-largest for a pitcher, behind only Los Angeles Dodgers leefty Clayton Kershaws $215 million, seven-year deal that runs from 2014-20.dddddddddddd. The previous high for a righty was the $180 million, seven-year agreement from 2013-19 signed by Justin Verlander, another Cy Young Award winner for the Tigers.Scherzer turned down an offer from Detroit last March that would have paid him $144 million from 2015-20, an average of $24 million per year.The Nationals will lose what would have been the 27th pick in Junes amateur draft, while the Tigers will gain an extra pick after the first round.All in all, for the Nationals, its a surprising move to upgrade an already imposing rotation after a relatively quiet off-season for the NL East champions.Scherzer was 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA in 2014, a year after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and being voted the best pitcher in the American League. He now joins a club whose starting staff in 2014 included Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister — Scherzers former teammate with the Tigers — Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark.That group already was considered among the best — if not the best — rotation in the majors. The question now is what move could come next for the Nationals, who might pursue a trade.Zimmermann went 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA and 182 strikeouts in 199 2-3 innings in 2014, and he threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history on the last day of the regular season. But he can enter free agency after next season.Last season, Strasburg was 14-11 with a 3.14 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 215 innings; Fister was 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA; Gonzalez went 10-10 with a 3.57 ERA, and Roark went 15-10 with a 2.85 ERA in 198 2-3 innings.Gonzalez, third in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2012, is the only left-hander in the bunch.___AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '