The San Diego Padres opened Tuesday night’s matchup vs. the Seattle Mariners with an offensive explosion—sparked by the bat of Ramon Laureano. In a pivotal Padres vs. Mariners showdown with postseason stakes, Laureano crushed a first-inning grand slam that silenced the T-Mobile Park crowd and gave San Diego an early 5-0 lead.

Since the MLB trade deadline, no acquisition has paid off quite like Laureano. Facing Mariners ace Luis Castillo, Laureano worked a 1-2 count before launching a 391-foot shot to left-center, his sixth home run since being acquired. The first-inning rally featured a Fernando Tatis Jr. single, an RBI from Xander Bogaerts, and Laureano’s grand slam—capping off a perfect offensive sequence for the Padres.

MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight how much the 31-year-old has meant to San Diego since being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles just before the trade deadline.

“Ramón Laureano, perhaps the best Deadline pickup by any team over the four weeks since, just launched a first-inning grand slam to put the Padres on top, 5-0. He's hitting .329/.380/.624 with six homers and 20 RBIs since he was acquired from the Orioles on July 31.”

Laureano’s hot streak has become a key boost for a Padres team sitting just one game behind the Dodgers in the NL West. With a 74-58 record, San Diego is firmly in the postseason race, looking to overtake the 75-57 Los Angeles Dodgers down the stretch. Manager Mike Shildt has praised Laureano’s presence in the heart of the lineup, especially with stars like Tatis Jr. having missed time earlier in the season.

Castillo settled in after the first but never fully recovered from the early damage. Over four innings, he gave up five earned runs on four hits, including Laureano’s grand slam, while walking three and striking out four on 75 pitches. The rough opening frame was enough to swing the momentum firmly in the Padres’ favor.

The Padres currently lead the Mariners 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth, riding the momentum of the early grand slam. With the NL West division race tightening, every game carries weight—and the grand slam has given them a commanding start to this critical interleague series. The center fielder's surge since the MLB trade deadline continues to be a driving force for a team eyeing a deep October run.

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