Randy Vasquez leads Padres to 1-0 win in Denver
The Padres find ways to win without an offense, more details on Padres team sale, LeBron drags Lakers to 2-0 series lead, Wemby leaves with a concussion, F1's confusing mid-season changes and more.
I was trying to figure out (if there was anything to actually figure out) why the San Diego Padres offense was struggling to put up runs last night, their first game in the thin air of Coors Field.
My initial assumption was that the players were relying too heavily on the thin air. That they were telling themselves “Just hit a long fly ball and let the stadium do the rest.” I mostly thought this after seeing multiple Padres fly balls die at the warning track.
So, I looked into the stats of last night’s 1-0 Padres win (lots of praise/talk about Randy Vasquez in the links below) and here’s what I found:
Gavin Sheets hit a flyout in the 7th inning that would’ve been a home run at Wrigley Field.
Freddy Fermin, who is getting beat to hell behind the dish lately and was limping for half of last night’s game after taking a foul ball off the top of his foot, hit a ball in the 3rd inning that would’ve been a home run in literally every MLB ballpark except for Coors Field and Chase Field. Unfortunately, he was playing at Coors Field.
Then, in case you were thinking that Freddy (with his .194 batting average and a career high of 9 home runs in any single season) just lucked into that one, he did it again. In the 6th inning, he hit a flyout that would’ve been a home run in 17 of the 30 MLB ballparks.
Those three swings were, honest to goodness, the only chances for a home run in Denver last night. And none of them made it over the fence.
I think I’m going to attribute the lack of offense last night to some talented pitchers that were feeling good. And maybe some uncharacteristic (but not insane) winds swirling around the stadium last night.
Now, onto the links…
San Diego Padres
Vásquez shines with 7 scoreless as Padres toss shutout at Coors - MLB.com
It was the fourth 1-0 win for a visiting team in Coors Field history, and the first time the Padres won a 1-0 game with the only run being walked home since April 7, 2005.
On paper, it was an unlikely matchup for a classic pitchers’ duel, with Randy Vásquez taking on the Rockies’ bullpen. On the field, however, pitching aficionados got a rare treat as Vásquez squared off inning after inning, primarily against Colorado’s Chase Dollander, who pitched six innings after opener Jimmy Herget. Ultimately, Vásquez threw seven scoreless innings and combined with relievers Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon for a Coors Field shutout.
Padres Daily: Randy Vásquez loves Coors; Mason Miller gets a day; Manny’s eye, the good and bad - San Diego Union-Tribune
Miller, who has been the talk of baseball for his dominance so far this season, threw 20 pitches on Saturday and 13 on Sunday. Those were his 10th and 11th appearances and seventh and eighth saves.
Sunday was his third appearance in four days.
Miller maintained that he did not push back when told he would be down yesterday.
“Not in April,” he said.
After Jason Adam worked the ninth, Adrian Morejón got last night’s final three outs on eight pitches.
Feliciano-Jones stake in Padres to be up to 40 percent, with more investors to join: Sources - The Athletic
José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones are expected to acquire at least 30 percent — and up to 40 percent — of the San Diego Padres as part of their agreement to purchase the franchise at a record-breaking valuation, multiple people briefed on the deal told The Athletic.
The structure of the pending transaction means the previously reported valuation of $3.9 billion — which would smash the MLB record, set in 2020 when Steve Cohen bought 95 percent of the New York Mets at a $2.42 billion valuation — reflects the enterprise value of the Padres rather than the direct investment by Feliciano and Jones. A stake of, say, 35 percent would put the couple’s actual commitment closer to $1.4 billion.
San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: April 22 - MadFriars
Former Minnesota Twin Jose Miranda, coming off a strong week, homered in the second inning as part of a multi-hit effort. The homer was his third of 2026, and extended his hitting streak to five games. During the streak, The 27-year-old is 9-for-24 (.375 average) with a pair of homers, two doubles, and a triple. The former big leaguer can opt out of his contract in June if he is not added to the big league roster.
NBA Playoffs
LeBron has Father Time in Hell - Good Morning, Let’s Basketball
I did not come into this postseason thinking that anything that happened would impact LeBron James’ legacy, which feels pretty baked at this point. But now LeBron James has his injury-shredded Los Angeles Lakers up 2-0 on the Houston Rockets after L.A.’s 101-94 win on Tuesday.
Getting cut backdoor by a 41-year-old for the dagger dunk with late or absent rotations everywhere. Incredible. The cut, read, pass and dunk are incredible. The fact that the Rockets appear to have completely given up down five with a minute left to a team missing its two top scorers is incredible, too.
Spurs lose Victor Wembanyama — and control — as Portland evens series. How can they adjust if Wemby misses Game 3? - Yahoo Sports
For a moment, Wembanyama lay motionless on the ground before resting against the stanchion in an attempt to gather himself. In some ways, the Spurs’ hopes and dreams laid there with him. He would later be followed to the locker room after leaving on his own power before being officially ruled out with a concussion and entered into protocol. Per NBA rules, there is a 48-hour mandatory recovery period from the onset of a concussion before a player can be evaluated by a team physician or athletic trainer for a return to action.
The Scariest Part Of A Concussion Is The Uncertainty - Defector
There is little point in parsing the fine movements of Wembanyama’s eyes during the fall and in its immediate aftermath, because even though you might be able to derive some rough understanding of the force of the impact, every brain is different, as is every impact. You can’t just take a look at someone’s brain; there is no direct physical manifestation of a concussion, only the shadows it projects onto the inner shell of your skull (read: headaches). Someone I know who was recovering from a concussion whose neurologist told them that their symptoms, which at that point had persisted for months, would likely dissipate in “one-to-12 months.”
Rookie VJ Edgecombe’s playoff breakout sends 76ers past Celtics, puts him in company with Magic Johnson - Yahoo Sports
Rookie VJ Edgecombe stole the show at TD Garden on Tuesday night to power the Philadelphia 76ers past the Celtics in a 111-97 win. Edgecombe overcame a hard fall on his backside in the first quarter that prompted him to go to the locker room twice.
But he returned both times to pace the 76ers alongside his backcourt mate, Tyrese Maxey. The tandem led an onslaught from 3 as Philadelphia shot 19 of 39 (48.7%) from long distance.
Odds & Ends
Poway native, SDSU alum Kraig Chiles ready to retire from SD Sockers, completing ‘great journey’ - Times of San Diego
“This is definitely my last season, and it’s been a great journey,” said Chiles, 41, in his 17th season with the Sockers, back in December. “To be a rookie and now a veteran is something I will cherish forever. I still feel I can add a little bit to this championship-caliber group. Hopefully, we can grab the (Ron Newman) Cup, and I can ride into the sunset.”
Chiles sustained a knee injury at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside on March 15 against the Kansas City Comets, sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season and likely the playoffs, which begin Friday for the Sockers after a first-round bye. The team elevated him to an assistant coaching role for the rest of the year.
Lynx’s Napheesa Collier out until June following ‘successful’ ankle surgery - The Athletic
Ankle injuries plagued Collier throughout the 2025 WNBA season. She sprained her right ankle during an Aug. 2 win over the Las Vegas Aces before returning on Aug. 24. She played the rest of the season despite the injury.
Just over a month later, on Sept. 27, Collier went down clutching her left ankle after colliding with the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals. She was unable to return for the game’s closing moments, and the team later said she tore three ligaments in her ankle and a muscle in her shin.
Formula 1’s Emergency Midseason Regulation Changes, Explained - Defector
After unceasing complaints from drivers, fans, teams, and team principals, along with a healthy dose of outside humiliation, the FIA and various Formula 1 manufacturing authorities took the opportunity of no April races to implement overhauls to the vastly unpopular 2026 regulations. The “refinements,” as the official FIA news release calls them, were released on Monday, April 20, and are—with one exception—to be implemented immediately in the Miami Grand Prix on the weekend of May 3. They focus on three main issues: the prevalence of superclipping in qualifying, safety concerns with energy deployment, and race start procedure.
Firestone Walker & Duvel USA acquiring Stone Brewing - San Diego Beer News
Following the transaction, the Richmond, Virginia brewery will serve as Sapporo USA’s primary U.S. production hub for the Sapporo brand. During a transition period, Sapporo USA will continue producing the Stone Brewing portfolio at its Escondido, California and Richmond, Virginia breweries. The Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido will also continue to operate during this time. Sapporo USA is evaluating long‑term strategic options for the Escondido brewery and bistro following the completion of the transition.
Tijuana River is fueling San Diego air pollution, study finds - Axios
The study, published Thursday in Science, connects water quality to air quality for the first time, according to the team of researchers, from UC San Diego, UC Riverside, San Diego State University and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
While previous research showed chemicals from drugs, tires and personal care products carried by the river were getting into the air via sea spray, this study focuses on gases.