Padres' Craig Stammen Throws Himself Under the Bus for Starting Pitcher's Struggles

Through the first three months of Craig Stammen's tenure as the first-year manager of the San Diego Padres, there has been plenty of learning opportunities.

This was always to be expected when the team hired him this offseason considering he had never been a manager at any level before. Stammen has done a lot of good with this team, but he's also had to learn from his mistakes.

Stammen is still learning on the fly, especially when it comes to in-game adjustments and pitching decisions. So after starting pitcher Randy Vásquez got rocked in his latest start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, Stammen took the blame.

“I think we need to probably do a better job setting him up for success,” Stammen said. “I think him pitching in that game at that point in the game is probably a little tougher. The sixth inning, tie ballgame, it’s usually when we go to our bullpen. And we’ve got those guys at the back end that could shut the game down. I’ve got to do a better job putting him in a better position.”

Vásquez went 3.1 innings behind an opener against Los Angeles, allowing five earned runs on seven hits while only striking out one batter. This was a poor outing for the veteran in his first behind an opener, and there is some thought that he could have been pulled earlier.

Stammen could have taken Vásquez out before Dodgers star Kyle Tucker hit a two-run home run to push the lead, but he opted to trust his starter. Since the right-hander had come into the game following an opener, Stammen likely wanted to get more length out of him.

“We need some length out of the starting pitcher,” Stammen said. “We can’t just run our bullpen into the ground. And then there’s also the caveat of trying to stay competitive in a game also. It’s weighing those two options, and me, as the manager, got to figure out a better way to make those two things happen.”

The Padres' bullpen has been used heavily this season, and Stammen needs to be able to rely on his starters more. However, he didn't want to blame the pitcher, which is a sign of a great manager who takes accountability.

Stammen will continue to get better with his decision-making as his managerial career goes on, but his taking the blame for situations like this will go over well with his players. While he didn't give up the runs himself, his job is to put his guys into a better place for success.

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