BASEBALL
Strasburg returns to IL
The Washington Nationals placed right-hander Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day injured list with a neck strain before Wednesday night's game at Atlanta. Strasburg flew to Washington to be examined on Wednesday after he complained of tightness in his shoulder and neck in Tuesday night's 11-6 win over the Braves. The 32-year-old was pulled after only 1 1/3 innings. This is Strasburg's second stint on the injured list this season. He was shut down from April 15 until May 21 with right shoulder inflammation.
GOLF
Pepperdine claims title
Clay Feagler two-putted from 35 feet on the 18th hole to wrap up Pepperdine's first men's golf national championship in 24 years, a 3-2 victory over Oklahoma on Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Pepperdine took an early lead on a sizzling day in the desert, allowed Oklahoma to rally, then closed with a flourish for its second national championship. Oklahoma's Jonathan Brightwell won the opening match 1 up over Dylan Menante, but Pepperdine won the next two matches, setting up Feagler to close out the championship and his senior season. Leading 1 up, Feagler had to back off when someone popped open a drink before his approach shot, but gathered himself and hit a 7-iron from 195 yards to the front of the green. He hit the putt close enough that Oklahoma freshman Ben Lorenz conceded the match -- and the title.
HOCKEY
Sabres win NHL lottery
The Buffalo Sabres won the NHL Draft lottery and the expansion Seattle Kraken jumped up the order to take the No. 2 pick Wednesday night. The Sabres have the No. 1 pick for the fourth time in franchise history and second in three years. It marks a turnaround for a team that finished last in the overall standings for the fourth time since 2013-14, and lost the draft lottery in both 2014 and 2015. Seattle jumped ahead of Anaheim for the No. 2 pick. The Ducks finished 30th in the overall standings, but will be selecting third overall. The Kraken were provided the third-best odds at 10.3% -- tied with New Jersey -- to win the lottery. The Sabres had a 16.6% chance of landing the top pick, which was 1.9 points lower than the previous three lotteries, including 2018 when Buffalo maintained its spot to select defenseman Rasmus Dahlin at No. 1.
Canadiens earn Game 1 win
Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Staal scored early goals and Montreal beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the second-round series, a victory tempered by a scary late-game hit on Canadiens center Jake Evans. Evans was taken off the ice on a stretcher with 57 seconds left after being crushed by Jets center Mark Scheifele on an empty-net goal. Evans chased down the puck behind the net and was hit high as he tightly circled back around the goal cage to score. Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher and Evans also scored for Montreal, Joel Edmundson and Jeff Petry each had two assists, and Carey Price made 27 saves. Adam Lowry, Derek Forbort and Kyle Connor scored for Winnipeg, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28 shots. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Winnipeg.
FOOTBALL
Niners' center retires
San Francisco 49ers center Weston Richburg has retired after a knee injury derailed his career. The 29-year-old Richburg officially announced his retirement Wednesday. He missed the entire 2020 season while recovering from knee surgery and remained on San Francisco's roster until now to delay some of the salary cap impact until 2021. Richburg signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract with the Niners in 2018 after spending his first four seasons with the New York Giants. The former Colorado State lineman played 15 games in 2018 as the anchor on San Francisco's line and 13 more the next season before going down with a torn right patellar tendon in a Week 14 win at New Orleans. Richburg missed the Niners' run to the Super Bowl that season and never played again as he was also hampered by shoulder and hip injuries.
Bengals sign WR Chase
The Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday signed their remaining two draft picks, including fifth overall selection Ja'Marr Chase, a wide receiver who won the national championship at LSU with quarterback Joe Burrow. The Bengals also signed defensive end Joseph Ossai, a third-round selection. All 10 of their picks are now signed. Chase, who opted out of the 2020 college season, is expected to make a difference for the Bengals right away in an offense in need of playmakers to complement the dynamic Burrow. Chase won the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in college football in 2019. Ossai played three seasons at the University of Texas.
