Front Row Seat: Were the Padres tipping pitches?

Well, the Padres bullpen finally imploded, the NBA Playoffs are reaching the "everyone's injured" portion of the 2nd round and we were gifted one of the great Champions League matches of all time. Let's get into it...

San Diego Padres

Yankees score 10 runs in seventh inning, even series with Padres - San Diego Union-Tribune
The biggest inning against the Padres since 2011 inflated the bullpen’s ERA from 1.68 to 2.34, still best in MLB.

The Yankees’ barrage came after the Padres went up 3-2 in the top of the seventh on singles by Gavin Sheets and Elias Díaz and an RBI double by Fernando Tatis Jr.

Padres relievers had been handed a lead in the seventh inning 13 times and preserved them all. That included five one-run leads.

This one, though, evaporated in seven pitches and was a distant memory not too many pitches after that.

Probably Nothing - Letters to A.J.
To preface, the Yankees had already scored six runs in the inning, so clearly it was not relaying Wandy Peralta’s pitches that led to most of the production of the inning. But when Austin Wells came up to bat with the bases loaded, Cody Bellinger repeated the same idiosyncratic motion, rubbing his helmet, every time Peralta was coming set to deliver an off-speed pitch.

Padres pregame: Jackson Merrill returns, Luis Campusano optioned to El Paso - San Diego Union-Tribune
The Padres have gone 15-9 since Merrill’s hamstring first forced him from the lineup on April 7, the first of a handful of injuries to strike the team after storming out to the game’s best record,

Luis Arraez (concussion) and Jason Heyward (knee) returned from their injuries at the start of the six-game winning streak that the Padres carry into tonight’s game. Brandon Lockridge (hamstring) returned on Friday and Jake Cronenworth (rib) could return to the team as soon as Friday at Coors Field.

Padres Prospects Week in Review: April 29 – May 4 - MadFriars
Leo De Vries hit safely in all five of his games, going 8-for-15, with two doubles and a homer, drawing four walks without a strikeout for a line of .533/.632/.867. The youngest player in the league just keeps delivering and is hitting .309/.400/.593 to lead the Midwest League in both slugging percentage and OPS. While his fielding has shown some rough spots, his offense is some of the best in baseball

NBA Playoffs

How did Warriors win Game 1 after Steph Curry injury? With depth and toughness - The Athletic
Green roared at the Minnesota bench as Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called timeout. The Warriors’ bench rushed the floor to celebrate their loud arrival into this second-round series, showing the oomph and energy they promised despite the condensed schedule. But as Green turned to celebrate the surge with Curry, he saw his star point guard limping to the locker room. Curry was grabbing at his upper leg.

Tyrese Haliburton Caps Stunning Pacers Comeback With Clutch Game-Winning Three - Sports Illustrated
Pacers' Aaron Nesmith dunked a basket in and Pascal Siakam followed with a layup. Tyrese Haliburton was fouled in the final 13 seconds of the game with the Pacers trailing by three. He made his first free throw, but missed his second. Fortunately, Haliburton managed to secure the rebound off his missed free throw and then successfully hit the game-winning three-pointer, taking a 120-119 lead with just one second left on the clock.

Odds & Ends

Was Inter vs Barcelona the greatest Champions League semi-final ever? - The Athletic
Inter’s dramatic 7-6 aggregate win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals this week seemed to have it all.

Wonderkids doing their thing, a creaking centre-back transforming into a fleet-footed centre forward to take the second leg to extra time, controversial refereeing decisions, six goals in the first leg, seven in the second leg, and a manager in a suit bellowing instructions in the pouring rain. What more could you want?

Oilers set NHL playoff record with 5th straight comeback win - ESPN
Allowing two goals within the first 10 minutes created the illusion that the Oilers could once again fall to open a series. Instead? They scored four unanswered goals in a 4-2 win Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference semifinals at T-Mobile Arena.

For the Oilers, not only was it their fifth consecutive comeback win this postseason but it was also the first time in nearly a calendar year that they won the first game of a series.

Year 2 Unrivaled questions: WNBA support, expansion, rules - ESPN
Co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart said Unrivaled's opening season was a success – from financially to the product on the court and to fan engagement. But now, as the league said to revolutionize the WNBA offseason takes a backseat to its more established counterpart, Unrivaled's stakeholders must figure out how to build on the momentum.

Alright, that's going to do it for today's edition of Front Row Seat. I'll be back tomorrow, and every weekday, to try and make it easier for you to follow the news.

Feedback is welcome (in the comments below, in my inbox or on the Section 1904 Discord server) and feel free to send me any links that you think I missed and I'll try to include them tomorrow.