Nationals, the Padres benches are clear; Jurickson Profar hits the grand slam

SAN DIEGO – You probably didn’t have the Padres-Nationals as a burgeoning, must-see rivalry. But you should do it now.

In the second game of a fiery three-game series between the two teams, the benches cleared before Profar’s first at-bat in the first inning Tuesday night — and that was just the beginning of the drama at Petco Park. Profar was waived, Padres manager Mike Shildt was forced out, Manny Machado and Jesse Winker green-lighted. Then Profar himself put an exclamation point on the proceedings with a decisive grand slam in San Diego’s 9-7 victory.

The drama began a night earlier. On Monday, Profar capped a wild four-run rally in the 10th inning with a single. The Nationals had opted to intentionally walk Luis Arraez to load the bases and throw to Profar instead. During that at-bat, Washington reliever Hunter Harvey came loud and clear with an 0-2 fastball, knocking down Profar, and after the game, Profar was quick to say he felt “missed of respect “.

Let’s go back to Tuesday. When Profar arrived at the plate, he was greeted by the words of Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz. Manny Machado, on deck at the time, stepped between the two. But not before the shelters and enclosures are already cleared.

Not much came of the incident, other than a few heated conversations. However, once tensions had subsided and both benches were warned, MacKenzie Gore’s first pitch was a fastball to Profar’s foot.

Shildt, upset that Gore wasn’t ejected, quickly came out to protest and got a run. Gore, a former Padres prospect, stayed in the game — and Machado launched his next pitch into the left-field seats for a two-run home run.

Petco Park erupted. Machado practically walked to first base. Profar sprinted to third, then celebrated again in front of the Nationals dugout, although this time he made it clear he was gesturing toward the fans.

But the Padres’ lead was short-lived. Washington rallied for a four-run third inning, capped by Winker’s go-ahead run. Winker, who received boos at each of his at-bats after being spotted chomping at the bit with a Padres fan the night before, strutted through the first base bag after his ball left the yard .

They went back and forth, until Profar came to the plate with one out in the bottom of the sixth and the Padres leading by a run.

A quick refresher on Profar: The Padres took him off the bargain bin during spring training – a one-year, $1 million contract loaded with incentives. Since then, he’s been their most valuable player, their best player, their emotional leader and, frankly, at the center of just about everything — including a similar showdown with the rival Dodgers in Los Angeles in April.

Profar has a .317/.410/.488 slash line and currently leads among all National League outfielders in wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. He’s also leading the All-Star voting, as he attempts to join Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield as the only Padres outfielders to start an All-Star Game.

On Tuesday, during the sixth round, Profar further strengthened this case. Nationals reliever Derek Law threw a 2-0 cut fastball to the inside half of the plate, and Profar spun on it, sending it just inside the right-field foul pole.

San Diego was on its way to a second straight victory against the Nats, both fueled by Profar. The two teams entered the series separated by a half-game for the final NL Wild Card spot. So far, that’s the Padres’ advantage.