WASHINGTON, DC (Interstat) — The San Diego Padres erased a one-run deficit with a pair of home runs in the sixth and seventh innings Friday night, beating the Washington Nationals 7-5 at Nationals Park before a crowd of 26,529.

San Diego, which had lost four straight games, improved to 32-24. Washington fell to 29-29.

Jackson Merrill provided the decisive blow with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, his fifth of the season. Ty France also went deep for the Padres, finishing 2 for 3 with an RBI. Curtis Mead homered and drove in two for Washington, and Keibert Ruiz also went deep.

Jeremiah Estrada earned the win in relief, improving to 2-1. He allowed one hit and struck out two over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Mason Miller recorded his 17th save, working 1 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts.

Mitchell Parker took the loss for Washington, falling to 2-2.

The game featured four lead changes and a tie.

San Diego struck first in the top of the first inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. led off with a sharp line-drive single to center field. Gavin Sheets followed with a ground-ball single to center, sending Tatis to third. Xander Bogaerts then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Tatis for a 1-0 Padres lead.

Washington answered immediately in the bottom half. James Wood walked, and after Luis García Jr. singled and was thrown out trying to advance on the throw, Mead crushed an 0-1 pitch over the center-field wall for a two-run homer, his eighth of the season. The Nationals led 2-1.

The Padres tied the game in the third inning. Sheets led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on a line-drive single by Manny Machado.

The Nationals regained the lead in the bottom of the third when Dylan Crews singled home CJ Abrams, who had walked. Washington went ahead 3-2. After a single by Daylen Lile and a walk to Jacob Young, the bases were loaded, but Keibert Ruiz flied out to end the threat with the score still 3-2.

San Diego surged ahead in the fourth. Miguel Andujar singled, and after a forceout, France singled. Ramón Laureano scored on a groundout by Freddy Fermin, and Tatis followed with an RBI single to right, putting the Padres up 4-3.

Washington tied the game in the fifth. Mead singled, Abrams was hit by a pitch and, after two outs, Young singled to center, scoring Mead to make it 4-4.

The Nationals grabbed their final lead in the fifth when Young’s single drove in Mead, but the Padres answered quickly.

France led off the sixth with a home run to left-center field, his sixth of the season, knotting the game at 5.

The game remained tied until the seventh. After Gavin Sheets struck out, Xander Bogaerts reached on a throwing error by second baseman Nasim Nuñez. Manny Machado popped out, bringing Merrill to the plate. Merrill launched a 2-1 pitch over the right-center field wall, scoring Bogaerts and giving San Diego a 7-5 lead.

The Padres bullpen took over from there. Yuki Matsui worked two innings, allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout. Estrada entered in the sixth and retired the side in order. Adrian Morejon pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, and Miller closed the door in the ninth.

Washington put two runners on in the eighth after José Tena singled and Keibert Ruiz reached on a fielding error by right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., but Morejon escaped the jam with a lineout and a flyout.

In the ninth, Miller allowed a leadoff walk to Mead, then struck out Abrams, got Crews to fly out and struck out Lile to end the game.

San Diego pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts, 63 balls and 13 balls in play. Washington pitchers compiled 21 strikeouts, 60 balls and 21 balls in play.

The Padres finished with 10 hits to Washington’s nine. Tatis had three hits for San Diego, while France added two. Mead and Ruiz each had two hits for the Nationals.

The game lasted 3 hours, 18 minutes.

San Diego will face Washington again Saturday in the second game of the series. The Padres then travel to Philadelphia for a three-game set, while the Nationals host Miami for three games beginning Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington 6, San Diego 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave San Diego a 58.10 percent probability to win. The Padres were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 12 went under the over-under line of 8.5.