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 beat the Mariners in 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. For one, the Padres’ lineup has been much, much deeper.
“There’s no question about it, this is the deepest lineup I’ve ever been in,” said Laureano.
Meanwhile, the addition of Miller has seriously changed the dynamics of what was already a strong bullpen.
“You have the pieces every day,” said manager Mike Shildt.
Laureano’s first-inning grand slam put the Padres on top 5-0, and, briefly, they were cruising. Starter Dylan Cease, who retired the first 11 Mariners he faced, allowed a three-run homer to Randy Arozarena in the fifth and was promptly lifted after a subsequent walk to Cal Raleigh.
Because of his remarkable bullpen depth, Shildt was able to call for All-Star setup man Jason Adam in the fifth inning. But Adam would endure a rare blip, allowing a three-run homer of his own to Eugenio Suárez. Out of seemingly nowhere, the Padres trailed.
“We get punched in the mouth there in the bottom of the fifth,” said Jake Cronenworth. “And we come right back. … It’s who we are.”
Cronenworth’s RBI single tied the game in the sixth, before Fermin’s perfect squeeze ultimately proved decisive.
“Very gutsy, very gritty,” said Shildt. “It’s on display. Who you are is when you’re not at your most comfortable, and that’s not a comfortable feeling, being down 6-5 after being ahead 5-0.”
The game, of course, was far from over -- even with this bullpen. Adrian Morejon struck out the side in the sixth. Shildt opted to deploy Miller for the seventh against the vaunted top of the Mariners lineup, and he worked his way through it. Jeremiah Estrada bounced back from a rough outing against the Dodgers with a scoreless eighth, and Robert Suarez nailed down his 35th save.
The Padres would prefer to avoid going so bullpen-heavy every night. But they can afford it occasionally, because they’re so deep. There aren’t many (any?) other teams that carry five trustworthy high-leverage relief arms.
Which, of course, is the impact of the Miller trade. The Padres also added Nestor Cortes and JP Sears, who have helped at the back end of the rotation, and Will Wagner, who was recently called up in a utility bench role. Plus, the three additions to the starting lineup -- Laureano, O’Hearn and Fermin.
“It makes us complete,” Cronenworth said of the trades.
It would have been fair to expect some sort of acclimation period for the newcomers, whose lives were uprooted last month. Based on the results, there really hasn’t been one.
“It seems like they’ve been here for the whole year,” Cronenworth said. “They’ve been bought in since day one, and obviously we’ve tried to do as good of a job bringing them in and showing them how we do things around here. They’ve been outstanding. Couldn’t ask for a better group of guys.”
Shildt touted the work of the Padres’ staff behind the scenes, helping the incoming players get as comfortable as possible as quickly as possible -- from helping families get settled, to the welcoming culture of the clubhouse.
“It allows them to come in and be baseball players,” Shildt said.
O’Hearn can vouch for that.
“It speaks to two things,” O’Hearn said of the impact made by the newcomers. “I think it speaks to this team here and just how they’ve welcomed guys with open arms, kind of adopted us into the family, so to speak. And I think it speaks to the type of people and players that A.J. went after at the Deadline. Everybody that was brought in has been ready to jump on board with the team and what we’re trying to do here.
“Good deals all around.”