Profar, Higashioka homer as Padres collect season-high 20 hits, rout Nats 12-3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jurickson Profar homered for the second consecutive game, Kyle Higashioka also went deep, and the San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals 12-3 on Wednesday night.

Jackson Merrill came within a home run of hitting for the cycle and matched a career high with four hits for San Diego, which has won four in a row. Xander Bogaerts had a season-high four hits as the Padres finished with a season-high 20.

It was the Padres’ highest scoring total since a 13-1 win against Arizona on June 8.

“It was just fun to watch,” San Diego starting pitcher Matt Waldron said. “I was just in the dugout admiring how electric our offense was. I’m looking up at how hard their guy is throwing and his stuff is great, so I’m just impressed with how they did it. It was relentless.”

Juan Yepez homered to extend his hitting streak to 15 games for Washington, which is 0-5 against the Padres this season. It was the most runs allowed by the Nationals since a 12-3 loss to Philadelphia last Aug. 19.

The Padres overwhelmed Washington rookie Mitchell Parker (5-6), who made his second consecutive abbreviated start.

Luis Arraez hit a two-out, two-run single in the second inning, then came around when Profar blasted his 16th home run of the season.

San Diego added two more in third when Higashioka poked an RBI double to left and Merrill scored a batter later on Bryce Johnson’s squeeze bunt.

Parker allowed six runs and seven hits with three walks in three innings. He struck out five. It was his first outing since yielding five runs in two-thirds of an inning July 13 at Milwaukee. His ERA has jumped from 3.44 to 4.34 over his last two starts.

“If he got ahead, he got guys out,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “When he didn’t get ahead, everybody got on base. We just have to get him to keep working ahead. He looked like he was a tick off with his mechanics.”

The Padres added five runs in the fourth against Jordan Weems, a rally punctuated by Higashioka’s two-run homer, his 12th of the season.

“We don’t always get the results every night, but generally speaking, more than not we take relentless at bats,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said.

Washington went up 3-0 in the first against Waldron when Lane Thomas scored from first on Jesse Winker’s single and Yepez followed with a shot into the visitor’s bullpen in left-center.

Waldron (6-9) earned his first victory since June 19, working six innings and allowing three runs and four hits. The right-hander struck out four. In his final five innings, he yielded no hits and two walks.

“I want to talk about Waldron shutting the door right in their face, and that was the key,” Merrill said. “It took the life out of them the whole rest of the game. After the first inning and letting up three runs, he came back and dominated.”

Nationals utilityman man Ildemaro Vargas pitched the ninth, the first time this season Washington has used a position player on the mound. Vargas allowed two hits in a scoreless inning and capped his outing by snaring Jake Cronenworth’s sharp liner.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: Martinez said RHP Josiah Gray underwent both Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure Wednesday. Washington announced last week that Gray, an All-Star in 2023, would miss the rest of the season with elbow surgery. Gray was 0-2 with a 14.04 ERA in two starts this year.

San Diego RHP Dylan Cease (9-8, 3.76 ERA), who pitched seven shutout innings against Washington on June 26, starts Thursday in the finale of the three-game series. That Nationals counter with LHP Patrick Corbin (2-9, 5.35), who is seeking his 100th career victory.

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