Padres must decide if this version of Randy Vásquez can actually be trusted

Randy Vásquez gave the Padres six scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks on Aug. 4. We’ve seen him shut down lineups in the past. It happens. But let’s also be honest about what we watched. 

Vásquez struck out one batter. That makes his performance encouraging, but it doesn’t make it convincing. He became the first Padres pitcher to complete six innings since Michael King did it on June 3, an achievement that says almost as much about the state of their rotation as it does about Vásquez. The Padres have been searching for length wherever they can find it. So of course Vásquez, of all people, supplied six clean frames.

We don’t think anyone saw that coming. Not even the Friars.Craig Stammen has handled Vásquez carefully following his strong start to the season, placing him in a piggyback arrangement designed to limit his exposure. He has rarely looked like the type of pitcher who should be handed a lineup three times and trusted to figure out the rest.

Randy Vasquez still has to prove his last outing was sustainable

But he did against the D-backs. Six scoreless innings should earn Vásquez another opportunity. That shouldn’t erase every concern that pushed him into the piggyback plan to begin with. One strikeout leaves very little margin for error. That’s a lot of baseballs put in play. It puts a ton of pressure on the defense, positioning and leaves a lot up to the baseball gods.

Either way, the Padres have to determine which version of him they saw. He doesn’t need to become a strikeout machine. Plenty of pitchers center their game around inducing ground ball contact. But their success can be limited when they’re living at the mercy of contact. If he can’t miss barrels, he must consistently control the quality of said contact, avoid walks and keep the ball from leaking out over the plate. Remove any one of those pieces and the whole thing will fall apart. 

One sharp outing shouldn’t trigger a complete change in how Stammen uses him going forward. For now, he deserves another traditional start. But if there are notable cracks in his armor, they should also keep the piggyback option handy.

His quality start offered a glimpse of what the Padres need. He just needs to prove he can continue providing it. 

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