Dylan Cease allowed just one hit over seven shutout innings Wednesday while battery mate Kyle Higashioka homered twice and knocked in six runs as the San Diego Padres polished off a three-game sweep of the visiting Washington Nationals with an 8-5 verdict.
Cease (7-6) walked two and fanned nine, throwing 65 of his 102 pitches for strikes. The only hit he allowed was a two-out single by Nick Senzel in the top of the fifth inning. Washington never even got a runner into scoring position until the ninth.
Then, the Nationals erupted for five runs on two-run doubles by Lane Thomas and Luis Garcia, plus an RBI single by Harold Ramirez. They had the tying run on deck before Senzel grounded into a game-ending double play.
Rookie left-hander DJ Herz (1-2) suffered the loss after permitting six hits and four runs over 3 1/3 innings with two walks and one strikeout. The result capped a 6-1 homestand for San Diego, which is now 14-4 in its last 18 home games.
After wild 7-6 and 9-7 victories in the series’ first two games, the Padres continued to pile up hits and runs in the series finale. Higashioka put them ahead to stay in the bottom of the second.
Picking on a poorly-located changeup over the middle of the plate, Higashioka lined his seventh homer of the year just inside the left field foul pole with Jackson Merrill aboard after a single.
San Diego added two more runs in the fourth. Eguy Rosario doubled and reached third on Higashioka’s single. A wild pitch scored Rosario, and Jurickson Profar chased home Higashioka with an RBI single.
The game briefly reached laugher stage in the eighth. The Padres filled the bases with no outs on a single by Manny Machado, a walk to Jake Cronenworth and a bunt single by Ha-Seong Kim. After a pair of outs, Higashioka unloaded his first career grand slam, a shot estimated at 390 feet to left.
Higashioka’s three-hit day increased his average 25 points to .207. Machado added two hits as San Diego outhit the Nationals 9-5.
–Field Level Media
