When the first pitch fell to open their weekend series against the Giants in San Francisco, the Padres knew that the Braves and Mets – the two teams closest to them in the race for the playoffs – had dispatched the Dodgers and Phillies, the two teams with the best records in the National League.

A win would therefore be very helpful in keeping the other clubs at a distance.

It took them four throws to gain a lead that they never gave up again.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his third straight home run and Dylan Cease was fabulous in 6.0 innings of his 5-0 win to open a three-game series in the Bay Area. When Cease got the ball against fellow All-Star Logan Webb, most people thought it was going to be a duel of pitchers. Only one of them looked like an ace.

Webb allowed a leadoff single by Luis Arraez, who had three more hits on the night, then Tatis Jr. hammered a two-run home run deep over the center field wall, a 433-footer that came off the bat at 109 miles per hour. That was just the beginning of Webb’s problems.

Manny Machado singled and Xander Bogaerts doubled to give the Friars a 3-0 lead. Webb lasted just four innings and allowed four runs, one of which came on a throwing error of his own.

Cease took advantage and looked like a future Cy Young Award winner, striking out Donovan Walton in the 3rd inning for his 1,000th career strikeout and then making his way to 2,000 early. Cease struck out the team and finished his night with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 dominant innings.

A trio of relievers, Tanner Scott, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada, each hit a bagel to preserve the shutout and put the Friars back in the National League’s first wild card spot thanks to the Diamondbacks’ home loss to the Brewers. San Diego holds a 0.5-game lead over Arizona for fourth place, while the Mets, who hold the sixth and final playoff spot, are 1.5 games back.

The Padres can win the series on Saturday night when Joe Musgrove takes on the mound against Mason Black.