Xander Bogaerts

Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill had to work together to keep Dylan Cease's no-hitter hopes alive.

Bogaerts went 4-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in Wednesday's 12-3 win over the Nationals.

The 31-year-old now has two hits in five of six games since coming off the IL and has gone 10-for-25 (.400) overall in that span. He hasn't hit any home runs in those six games and has stolen just one base, so there remain some questions about whether the fractured shoulder will impact his power and speed, but him being in the lineup and on base often is good to see.

The Padres strung together three singles against Chris Sale in the opening inning, with Bogaerts' knock plating Donovan Solano with the game's first run. Bogaerts also led off the eighth inning with an infield single. He is now hitting .231/.274/.323 with four homers, 15 RBI and four stolen bases through his first 49 contests on the season.

The 35-year-old southpaw struck out four batters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of free passes. The lone tally against him came on an RBI single by Xander Bogaerts in the opening inning. Sale was lifted after only 79 pitches (55 strikes) in this one, but the Braves' bullpen was able to hang on for him. Sale got eight whiffs on the afternoon -- six of those on his slider -- while registering a CSW of 28 percent. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 13-3 record, 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 140/24 K/BB ratio over 110 innings through his first 18 starts with the Braves.