The San Diego Padres shut out the Washington Nationals en route to a 3-0 win on Thursday. It was an afternoon that included a complete game no-hitter from starting pitcher Dylan Cease, who revealed a key message to manager Mike Shildt following his stellar performance in Washington, D.C.

Cease went nine innings, striking out nine and giving up three walks on the day. He lobbied his manager to stay in the game after the seventh inning, and the rest was history. Cease's no-hitter is just the second in Padres history.

“I've thrown 113 pitches this year,” the Padres' Cease said according to MLB on Twitter. “Thankfully they let me talk him into it, and here we are.”

Padres dominate Thursday matchup

Padres defeat Nationals in a no-hit performance from Dylan Cease.
Dylan Cease is doused in Gatorade after recording a no-hitter vs. Washington. © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres got two hits each from third baseman Donovan Solano and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim en route to Thursday's big win.

The win moved San Diego to 55-50 on the season while the Nationals fell to 47-56 on the year.

Kim drove in all three of Shildt's team's runs on the day. It was all the offense San Diego needed as Washington got three bases-on-balls but did not record a single hit.

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Cease has been a workhorse for the Padres this season as he now boasts a 10-8 record with a 3.50 ERA.

The Padres won't be mistaken for Lou Gehrig's New York Yankees but they are a solid team with plans for making a playoff run. They are now seven games out of first place in the National League West with plenty of time left to get into a groove and put the fear of God into Dave Roberts' Los Angeles Dodgers in the division.

San Diego has a 29-22 road record this season in stark contrast with their 26-28 home record. Next up is a three-game series against manager Brandon Hyde's team in Baltimore followed by a two-game series against the Dodgers in San Diego that could give Mike Shildt and Dylan Cease's team a golden chance to make up ground quickly.

Ha-Seong Kim and the rest of Shildt's team is rounding into form nicely giving them hope for better days in one of the most beautiful cities in the country.