Padres ride Randy Vásquez, his 4 helpers to victory over Cardinals

Kevin Acee, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Jul 26, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ST. LOUIS — Randy Vásquez and Mike Shildt’s Four Horsemen rode to the rescue.

On a surprisingly (somewhat) pleasant July evening at Busch Stadium, the San Diego Padres got a much-needed victory the same way they got their only other victory this week.

It is a formula that has served them well.

Vásquez goes as long as he can, and the Padres’ four highest-leverage relievers finish a close game.

On Saturday, the combination helped produce a 3-1 victory that stopped the Padres’ losing streak at four games.

This time, Vásquez allowed one run while covering the first 5 2/3 innings before Adrian Morejón, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Robert Suarez finished off the St. Louis Cardinals.

It was the Padres’ sixth straight victory in a start made by Vásquez. At least two of the Four Horsemen, as Shildt named them earlier this month, have worked in all of those games. All four have worked in the past four.

On Monday, in the Padres’ previous win, they covered the final 4 2/3 innings. They also did that in his previous start, on July 10. And they worked four innings in the start before that.

Four of the six games have been decided by one run, the other two by two runs.

The Padres, who are 4-5 on the road trip that concludes Sunday, built their MLB-leading 36th victory by one or two runs without getting a single hit in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position but with a litany of good at-bats, help from an error and a sacrifice bunt.

There was drama again in this one after Willson Contreras got hit by a pitch for the second straight night.

Unlike Friday, warnings were not issued until Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore plunked Manny Machado in the top of the fifth and the benches did not clear until Machado was hit again in the ninth.

Unlike Friday, the gathering got heated and there were shoves. The brouhaha broke up fairly quickly. Cardinals reliever Andre Granillo did not get ejected, but coach Jon Jay did after something he said to Machado as the Cardinals flooded the field.

Also unlike Friday, and most importantly, the Padres scored.

They led 1-0 in the second after Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch with one out, Bryce Johnson singled with two outs and Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II overran the ball, allowing Cronenworth to race home with no throw.

Vásquez, as he is prone to do, issued a one-out walk to Nolan Arenado in the bottom of the second. Arenado scored from first base on a two-out double by Jordan Walker.

The Padres took the lead when Cronenworth scored again in the top of the fourth after grounding a double down the right field line, going to third on a groundout to the right side by Jose Iglesias and sliding in ahead of the throw home on a safety squeeze executed by Johnson.

The Padres scored their final run in the ninth on a double by Johnson, sacrifice bunt by Martín Maldonado and a grounder by Fernando Tatis Jr. that shortstop Masyn Winn bobbled before throwing to first base for the out.

Saturday was Vásquez’s career-high 21st start, one more than last season. His 3.65 ERA is 1.22 points better than 2024, which he spent between the majors and Triple-A.

The Padres are now 14-7 when Vásquez starts.

That is better even than their 13-8 record when Nick Pivetta starts.

The Padres have scored more runs for Pivetta than they have for Vásquez. Pivetta’s 2.81 ERA is sixth lowest in the National League to Vásquez’s 3.65 ERA. Pivetta has gone six or more innings and allowed zero or one run 10 times. Vásquez has done so twice.

Vásquez has had the Four Horsemen.

____