WASHINGTON — The Padres have been waiting for this.

By just about any metric, they own one of the sport’s best offenses. Their lineup is loaded with All-Stars. It’s balanced, and the pieces seem to fit.

But has it ever truly reached its ceiling? Has it ever truly shown what it’s capable of when all those pieces are clicking? Well, it might look something like this:

The Padres thrashed the Nationals, 12-3, on Wednesday night at Nationals Park, their fourth straight victory and one of their most impressive offensive displays of the season.

Jackson Merrill had four hits and finished a homer shy of the cycle. Jurickson Profar and Kyle Higashioka each went deep. Xander Bogaerts continued to rake since his return from the injured list with four hits and a walk.

By the top of the fifth inning, every Padres starter had recorded a hit — and most of them more than one. That was plenty of support for right-hander Matt Waldron, who allowed three runs in the bottom of the first, then held the Nationals scoreless for the remainder of his six strong innings.