SAN DIEGO -- There's one aspect of San Diego's grand-slam streak the players themselves have cherished the most: It's been a collective effort. Four players authored those slams, with six different players on the bases for them. It's been a different hero -- or heroes -- every night.

On Thursday, that hero was Eric Hosmer. His fifth-inning salami made the Padres the first team in baseball history to notch grand slams in four consecutive games. It was a fitting way to set the record and an indicator of the strides Hosmer has made.

"He's hitting the ball hard, he's hitting the ball middle, and most importantly, he's on plane," said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. "And when he does pull the ball, a higher majority of the time, the ball's in the air."

Hosmer entered Friday with a .554 slugging percentage, which would easily qualify as the best mark of his career. It's not all that difficult to understand why.

Hosmer is finally hitting the ball in the air with some consistency.

Consider this: Hosmer's average exit velocity of 90.1 mph is actually slightly lower than his career 90.2 mark, according to Statcast. That's a solid number and always has been. But too frequently, those hard-hit balls were on the ground. In the era of advanced data and infield shifts, they were gobbled up.

This year, Hosmer's ground-ball rate has plummeted from 56.8 percent to 42.6, which is roughly league average. It's still Hosmer's offensive skill set -- but with a league-average ground-ball rate. The Padres would sign up for that every day.

"He's got elite bat speed, and just being able to sharpen some of those angles as he's going to the ball -- so far it's paid dividends," Tingler said.

So what exactly has Hosmer changed? Tingler wouldn't delve into it, and Hosmer didn't discuss the mechanics behind it either. But he's convinced those are only a small part.

Hosmer says he's honed his approach, and that's been the biggest difference. In unfavorable counts, Hosmer said, he'd previously looked to battle and merely put the ball in play. That's no longer the case. Hosmer indicated that he's selling out in search of solid contact, instead of merely contact.

"It's still a work in progress," Hosmer said. "The whole two-strike battling and trying to put the ball in play -- I'm really trying to get away from that and just continue to drive the baseball. Just hunt my pitch whatever that is, depending on each at-bat, depending on who I'm facing.

"I definitely made some adjustments mechanically. … But it's really just a mindset, looking for a good pitch to drive in all counts."

Hedges bounces back
After a woeful start to the season offensively, Austin Hedges' bat has come to life. In Thursday's extra-innings victory, Hedges gave the Padres an eighth-inning lead with a towering home run to left field, his third of the season.

Of course, Hedges' offensive baseline has always been significantly lower than other hitters, given what he contributes defensively. But Hedges seems acutely aware that his early-season performance wasn't enough.

"You've obviously got to get some results to play," Hedges said. "You can't just go up there, think you're having good at-bats when you're not getting any results. ... When you start getting some results, it takes a little bit of that weight off your shoulders."

Indeed, the results have begun to shift. Ten days ago, Hedges was hitting .091 without a walk or an extra-base hit. Since then, he's posted a .250/.375/.700 slash line.

"I had a really good Summer Camp, and I felt really good about everything going into the season," Hedges said. "When you get off to a little bit of a slow start, everything gets magnified. ... I haven't changed anything honestly. I've been pretty confident this entire time. I keep working every day just to be a tough out. It's my job right now, if I'm hitting nine-hole, I've got to get [Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatis Jr.] up as many times as possible."