Profar, Higashioka homer as Padres collect season-high 20 hits, rout Nats 12-3
San Diego Padres' Jurickson Profar, center, celebrates his two-run home run with Jackson Merrill during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Washington. Credit: AP/John McDonnell
WASHINGTON — 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.
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.
San Diego Padres third base coach Tim Leiper, left, congratulates Padres Jurickson Profar on a two-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Washington. Credit: AP/John McDonnell
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.
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.
San Diego starter Matt 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.
Washington went up 3-0 in the first 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.
San Diego Padres' Jurickson Profar, right, runs past Washington Nationals starting pitcher Mitchell Parker celebrating his two-run home run in the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Washington. Credit: AP/John McDonnell
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.
UP NEXT
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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