Randy Vasquez fainted after his abbreviated start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, turning a rough outing into a medical scare for the Padres. He regained consciousness and was taken to a local hospital for precautionary tests after passing out on his way to get X-rays on his right ankle.
Craig Stammen said Vasquez was in stable condition, but the sequence of events gave the night a sharper edge than the score alone. Vasquez’s ankle had been struck by a 99 mph comebacker in the first inning, and he went on to allow four runs in three innings before leaving the Padres’ 12-7 loss.
The timing mattered because the Padres were already trying to stop a season-high six-game losing streak. They had built a 6-0 lead through the first two innings against Roki Sasaki, then watched the game slip away as their pitching problems widened around them.
That broader slide has been severe. Since taking the opener of a weekend series against the Dodgers from Petco Park last Friday, the Padres have allowed 66 runs, the most in any six-game stretch in franchise history. Their pitchers have posted a 10.48 ERA over that span, given up 17 home runs and had none of those six games reach a point where a starter completed five innings.
There was another injury evaluation in the same game, with Freddy Fermin being checked for a concussion after taking a foul tip off his face mask in the fifth inning. The Padres were already absorbing one scare when Vasquez collapsed, and the fact that he was later reported in stable condition only underscored how close the night came to becoming something worse.
What remains unclear is whether the ankle injury, the fainting episode or both will keep Vasquez out beyond Thursday. The club has a hospital evaluation, a pitcher who finished the night stable and a pitching staff that can least afford another absence.
