SAN DIEGO _ On his birthday, Eric Lauer gave and received.
The new 24-year-old with a new curveball worked his way out of some early trouble with defensive help from his teammates and went on to pitch six of his strongest innings this season.
His final inning Monday was followed immediately by the San Diego Padres' biggest inning of the season, as they scored seven runs en route to an 8-2 victory in the opener of a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park.
Manny Machado's first grand slam as a Padre capped a sixth inning that also featured Ian Kinsler's 900th career RBI.
Lauer, who hadn't issued a walk in his previous three starts, put the lead-off man on base _ with two walks and a hit batter _ in the first three innings. None of those runners reached second base.
Kinsler helped out in the first inning, allowing a shallow pop fly to drop and starting a double play. In the third, catcher Austin Hedges zipped a throw directly to the bag to catch Sean Rodriguez trying to steal second.
The Phillies' first hit, a double by Rhys Hoskins, came with two outs in the fourth inning and was followed by their second hit, J.T. Realmuto's single off the left field wall that scored Hoskins before Realmuto was thrown out at second trying to stretch his hit into a double.
Lauer did not allow another hit and left having thrown 82 pitches. Among his 18 outs were six on his curveball. The New York Yankees and Phillies went 0-for-15 against Lauer's curve in his past two starts. The left-hander had been working for months on the pitch, which is faster and more reliable of late. Through his first 10 starts, opponents were 7-for-30 against his curve.
Lauer (5-4) has won three straight starts for the first time in his career. He has allowed five runs (four earned) over his past four starts, a stretch of 24 innings.
Franmil Reyes tied the game 1-1 in the fifth inning. His 418-foot blast also put him in a tie with Hunter Renfroe for the team lead with 17 home runs this season.
Eric Hosmer singled to lead off the sixth, went to second on Wil Myers' single and scored on a double by Kinsler.
Josh Naylor pinch-hit for Lauer, and his bases loaded single made it 4-1. Machado's blast put the game out of reach.
Realmuto homered off Brad Wieck in the seventh.
At 31-29, the Padres have a winning record after 60 games for the first time since 2010.
