The San Diego Padres completed the sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, and are now 11 games above .500.
On Friday night in the opener, it was right-hander Randy Vsquez who delivered for the team.
Vsquez fired seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing just two runs. He lowered his ERA in August to 3.13 over four appearances (three starts).
After the outing, Padres manager Craig Stammen reflected on Vsquez, admitting that this was a massive performance for the veteran right-hander's spot in the rotation.
"Kind of a man on a mission, proving that he deserves to be in the starting rotation," Stammen said .
There has been debate about where Vsquez belongs on the Padres pitching staff, with the team using him in different roles since he came back from injury . But Vsquez is simply looking to help the team win, with the veteran not caring about his exact role.
"Wherever the team really needs me," Vsquez said. "As I've said before, it doesn't matter if I'm a reliever or I'm a starter, I'm going out there and doing my best that I can. It doesn't give me any frustrating moments or anything like that. I know that I'm just going to go out there and pitch and do my job as best as I can."
It's been a weird season for Vsquez , with him getting off to a very hot start to the year before faltering in June. But overall, he has recorded a 4.19 ERA over 25 appearances (20 starts), giving the Padres solid production.
With the team acquiring multiple starting pitchers at the trade deadline, it has put his spot in the rotation in doubt. But Vsquez has simply put his head down, allowing his game to do the talking over the last few weeks.
Vsquez could end up playing a big role for the Padres down the stretch, with him giving them a quality arm in the back of the rotation. San Diego is currently without Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta as they try to come back from elbow injuries.
The team also just saw starter Casey Mize leave a game early due to injury, potentially opening more of a role for Vsquez. But for now, Vsquez will take things game-by-game, and he's made a strong impression on his team of late.
"The hardest job of anybody in the rotation right now is him coming in at any time in the game, whether starting the game or coming in, middle of the game or after an opener or whatever," Stammen said. "Mentally, you've got to be very strong. You've got to believe in yourself and then be committed to when you go out there that there's no excuses from when I'm in the game. I'm just in the game, and it's my job to get outs. And Randy has done a great job of embracing that and doing a really good job of being successful doing it."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/padres/onsi as Randy Vasquez Sends Strong Message to Padres Manager With Latest Performance .
