NHL-BLUES-VIRUS
Blues, Knights cleared for Game 2
DENVER (AP) — The NHL has cleared the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights after virus testing errors. The league says multiple COVID-19 tests came back positive for each team from the same lab. Further testing turned up negative results.
All players who were isolated and retested were cleared to play.
That cleared the way for Game 2 between the Blues and the Colorado Avalanche. Vegas plays Game 3 at Minnesota on Thursday night. That series is tied 1-1.
In other NHL news:
— The New Jersey Devils have hired former U.S women’s national team captain Meghan Duggan as manager of player development. Duggan is the latest prominent women’s hockey player to get a job in an NHL team’s hockey operations department.
NHL-PLAYOFFS
Smith scores in 2nd OT, Bruins beat Caps 3-2 for series lead
UNDATED (AP) — Craig Smith scored 5:48 into the second overtime Wednesday night to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals and a 2-1 lead in the East Division first-round playoff series.
Smith outraced defenseman Justin Schultz to a puck behind the Capitals net and swept it around into the goal to end the third straight overtime game in the series. It was the 11th straight one-goal playoff game between them since 1998.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 800th combined regular-season and postseason goal, and Nic Dowd returned from a slap shot off the knee to add a goal for Washington. Ilya Samsonov returned from the COVID-19 list to make his playoff debut, stopping 40 shots for Washington, which lost the home-ice advantage after splitting the first two games at home.
Game 4 is Friday night in Boston.
NHL-REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Tkachuk scores twice, Flames beat Canucks 6-2 in finale
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk (kah-CHUHK’) scored twice and the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 in the NHL’s regular-season finale. At 26-27-3, they ended up four points behind Montreal for the final playoff spot. The Canucks finished last in the seven-team North, a point behind Ottawa.
NBA-PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
Grizzlies end Spurs’ season in play-in game winning 100-96
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored eight of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help put Memphis ahead to stay and the Grizzlies eliminated the San Antonio Spurs 100-96 in the first Western Conference play-in game.
The Grizzlies will play the Golden State Warriors or the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 8 seed Friday night and a first-round series starting Sunday against the top-seeded Utah Jazz.
Jonas Valanciunas had a season-high 23 rebounds and 23 points for Memphis. Ja Morant added 20 points and six assists. DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay each scored 20 points as the Spurs lost their fifth straight.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Kluber throws no-no
UNDATED (AP) — Corey Kluber threw the the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0.
The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a third-inning walk to Charlie Culberson of throwing a perfect game.
Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull threw one against the Seattle Mariners, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969. Kluber struck out nine and and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes.
Elsewhere around the majors:
— Lucas Giolito (jee-oh-LEE’-toh) gave up two hits over eight innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1. Giolito threw 111 pitches in his longest start of the year. Nelson Cruz’s home run in the third accounted for the only Minnesota runner past second base. Cruz had the only other hit, a single in the first inning. Liam Hendricks pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save. Chicago won for the 20th time in 28 games.
— Fernando Tatis (tah-TEES’) Jr. homered and went 4 for 4 in his first game back after testing positive for COVID-19, and the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 3-0 for a three-game sweep. Tatis, who had been out since May 11, finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in helping the Padres win their sixth straight game and for the ninth time in 10 games. Tatis came up in the eighth and got his third extra-base hit of the game, an RBI double.
— Randy Arozarena hit two home runs, stole another with his glove and knocked in four runs, Ji-Man Choi drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-7. Mike Brosseau also homered for Tampa Bay, which has won a season-high six consecutive games. At 25-19, the Rays are six games above .500 for the first time this year. Baltimore fell to a majors-worst 6-17 at home.
— Ronald Acuña Jr. homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 5-4 after blowing an early two-run lead. Acuña drilled the first pitch from Jacob Barnes to center field for his NL-leading 13th homer. The Mets were denied a sweep of the three-game series. Tomás Nido gave New York a 4-3 lead with a pinch-hit, two-run single in the seventh. The Braves pulled even in the eighth. Jonathan Villar’s leadoff homer in the fourth gave the Mets a 1-0 lead.
— Brain Anderson homered on his 28th birthday to back Trevor Rogers, who pitched five-hit ball for 7 2/3 innings and led the Miami Marlins over the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1. Adam Duvall and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also drove in runs for the Marlins, who won for just the second time in five games. Rogers (gave up five hits, including Andrew McCutchen’s sixth-inning homer. The 23-year-old rookie left-hander struck out eight and walked two. Yimi Garcia finished with two-hit relief for his eighth save. Zach Eflin allowed two runs and six hits in six inning
— Kevin Gausman gave up one hit over six strong innings, Buster Posey drove in three runs and the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-0. Gausman didn’t allow a hit until until Tucker Barnhart led off the fifth with a double, and Cincinnati managed just two more hits the rest of the way against San Francisco relievers. The Giants got a great outing from a starter in beating the Reds for the third straight night. Mike Tauchman had an RBI single in the fifth for NL West-leading San Francisco.
— Alex Verdugo and J.D. Martinez hit back-to-back homers during a five-run first inning, Garrett Richards won his fourth straight decision and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3. Kiké Hernández and Christian Vázquez also went deep for the Red Sox, who are 13-6 on the road. Boston has outhomered its opponents 57-32. Toronto, which lost for only the second time in eight games, got a two-run homer from Marcus Semien. A victory would have moved the Blue Jays past Boston into first place in the AL East. Verdugo hit a two-run drive and Martinez then ended a 12-game homerless drought with an opposite-field shot as the first five batters reached safely against Ross Stripling.
MLB-NEWS
Walker added to Mets’ lengthy IL list, Maybin joins OF mix
ATLANTA (AP) — The New York Mets place right hander Taijuan Walker on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Tuesday after he lasted only three innings in this week’s start against the Braves due to tightness in his left side.
The Mets selected the contract of outfielder Cameron Maybin from Triple-A Syracuse and started him in left field against the Atlanta Braves.
Left-hander Stephen Tarpley and right-hander Sam McWilliams also were placed on the injured list.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis will miss the rest of the season after surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip. The 35-year-old has not played since Baltimore’s spring training opener in February. General manager Mike Elias said Davis should be able to make a full return for spring training in 2022, the final season of Davis’ $161 million, seven-year contract.
— New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres is back in the lineup after being reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list. The fully vaccinated Torres missed six games after testing positive last week. Second baseman Rougned Odor (ROOG’-ned oh-DOHR’) was placed on the paternity leave list
— An unidentified Washington Nationals player who is vaccinated and asymptomatic has tested positive for COVID-19 and might have been in close contact with an unvaccinated player. Manager Dave Martinez said neither player would have been in the starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs and neither was available off the bench. The unvaccinated player might need to quarantine.
NFL-COLTS-SIGNINGS
Colts sign 2 more draft picks as voluntary work continues
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts have signed two more draft picks — tight end Kylen Granson and quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Financial terms were not immediately available though both deals will be for four seasons.
The Colts have now signed all seven selections from this year’s draft as the first week of voluntary workouts nears its conclusion.
In other NFL moves:
— The Patriots have signed running back and fourth-round draft pick Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson, out of Oklahoma, is the fifth member of the Patriots’ 2021 draft class to sign. The 23-year-old Stevenson played in 19 games over two seasons for the Sooners, rushing for 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns.
NCAA-ATHLETE COMPENSATION
NCAA’s D1 Council hopes athlete pay rules hashed out in June
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA Division I Council plans to act on legislative proposals next month that would allow athletes to be paid to be sponsors, social media influencers and product endorsers. That word from the governing body for college sports.
The council will take up the issue at its meeting June 22-23 with the goal of having legislation in place by July 1. That would provide greater consistency in the name, image and likeness opportunities available to student-athletes nationally as state laws become effective on or around that date.
OBIT-LEE EVANS
Record-setting sprinter, ’68 Olympic activist Lee Evans dies
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Lee Evans, the record-setting sprinter who wore a black beret in a sign of protest at the 1968 Olympics, died Wednesday. He was 74.
Evans became the first man to crack 44 seconds in the 400 meters, winning the gold medal at the Mexico City Games in 43.86. His victory came shortly after his teammates, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were sent home from the Olympics for raising their fists on the medals stand.
In later interviews, Evans said an official warned him not do anything similar. He took a different approach, wearing a black beret to show support for the Black Panther Party and other civil rights organizations.
