2 Padres players starts that feel sustainable, 1 that feels like fool’s gold

Through nine regular season games, the San Diego Padres are off to an impressive 7-2 start. Over this stretch, although it may be a small sample size, we have seen several players stand out to help the Friars pull off seven straight wins.

The production is appreciated, but can we expect it to hold up for some of these Padres? Yuki Matsui and Gavin Sheets might be able to sustain their hot starts, while Randy Vásquez's number may fluctuate a bit more than fans would like.

2 Padres players starts that feel sustainable

Yuki Matsui

In his first season in Major League Baseball, Matsui was a formidable reliever in 2024. He had a 1.165 WHIP and gave up multiple runs in just eight of his 64 appearances.

He's getting stronger, it appears, with each passing outing on the mound. This season, he's twirled eight strikeouts in four innings, giving up just one hit. His perfect 0.00 ERA will obviously not last forever, but Padres fans can expect Matsui to be one of the most reliable arms on the staff this year.

Gavin Sheets

Sheets has been on a tear this season. In his first eight games, he's registered eight hits, including three for extra bases, alongside five RBIs. Some thought that his strong spring training was just a flash in the pan, but he has carried that success over into the regular season.

He has been one of the more electric bats in the lineup, and his rise to becoming a fan favorite could help fuel his offensive tirade in 2025.

1 Padres player start that feels unsustainable

Randy Vásquez

In two starts, Vásquez has thrown 174 pitches. Among them, 92 were for strikes, so he is working deep into counts often. In Friday's loss against the Chicago Cubs, he was unable to to make it out of the fifth, getting pulled after 4 2/3 frames with 82 pitches. He fired two quick outs, but then gave up a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases.

In two starts, he's only given up two earned runs, but batters have been able to predict him more than normal, which means that those runs might start piling up soon. His chase rate, whiff rate, and strikeout rate are all in the below-average category, which could spell trouble in some of his starts.