SEATTLE — The Padres don’t win this game a month ago.
It’s now been nearly four weeks since general manager A.J. Preller went on his trade spree, making five deals involving 22 players in the hours leading up to the July 31 Trade Deadline. What a difference those moves are making in San Diego.
On Tuesday night, the Padres won a nervy, back-and-forth game at T-Mobile Park, 7-6. They got a grand slam and a double from the red-hot Ramón Laureano. They got two hits from Ryan O’Hearn. They got a hit, a walk and an RBI squeeze bunt from Freddy Fermin. And they called on Mason Miller for the top of the Mariners lineup in a scoreless seventh inning.
A month ago, none of those four were Padres.
Tuesday was the latest example of their impact. The Padres’ lineup has been much, much deeper over the past month, and the addition of Miller has seriously changed the dynamics of what was an already strong bullpen.
Laureano’s first-inning grand slam put the Padres on top 5-0, though they would relinquish that lead amid a six-run Mariners fifth. No matter. San Diego answered back straightaway with a two-run sixth in which Laureano hit a double and came around to score on Fermin’s perfect squeeze bunt.
