Higashioka (GS, 6 RBIs) helps Padres sweep, make playoff case

SAN DIEGO — Here come the Padres.

The first half of the 2024 season featured its share of ups and downs in San Diego. There were moments the Padres seemed ready to take off — and never quite did. There were moments the Padres seemed destined to crater — and never quite did.

Through it all, the cluttered, wide-open nature of the National League playoff picture afforded them some wiggle room. The Padres were a .500 team entering their series against Washington this week. That was hardly disqualifying. More than half the league found itself in a similar position — fighting for one of the final two Wild Card spots without seriously staking any claim.

With that backdrop, the Nationals visited Petco Park for a three-game series, trailing the Padres by half a game for the final NL playoff spot when they arrived. Three days later — after a wild comeback on Monday, a benches-clearing incident on Tuesday (followed by Jurickson Profar’s statement grand slam) and an emphatic 8-5 San Diego victory on Wednesday — the Padres have made their case.

Yes, it’s June. Yes, there are three months of baseball still to be played. Yes, the Padres have tantalized and underwhelmed before. But if there are two available places in the NL Wild Card race, one of them might just be the Padres’ to lose.

San Diego capped its sweep of the Nationals with a thorough display of dominance on Wednesday afternoon. Catcher Kyle Higashioka hit a pair of home runs, including an eighth-inning grand slam to put the game out of reach. His batterymate, Dylan Cease, was borderline untouchable, working seven scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing only two walks and Nick Senzel’s bloop single in the fifth.