SAN DIEGO -- Ian Kinsler hit a mighty three-run homer to put the San Diego Padres ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then had a profane outburst as he crossed home and then again in the dugout.

Many fans on social media felt it was directed at them, and manager Andy Green said it "was not the right response."

Kinsler, who hasn't been a fan favorite as he has struggled since joining the Padres on an $8 million, two-year deal, said otherwise.

"That was for my teammates," Kinsler said after the 4-3 victory Thursday night. "It had nothing to do with the fans. It's for my teammates. It's an inside thing with them. Just trying to get everybody fired up. We had a tough road trip. I'm a passionate player. I try to get my teammates going. That was it."

He declined to say exactly what he said.

"That's why it's inside," he said. "We need the fans behind us. We need the city of San Diego to be passionate with us and on our side. Hopefully that's the way they see this team."

Kinsler's homer and reaction overshadowed the Padres setting the major league record by going 8,020 games without a no-hitter since their inception. Then again, fans have been used to that since 1969.

Franmil Reyes also homered, connecting off San Diegan Trevor Williams an inning before the Pirates starter left because of discomfort in his right side.

Green had a different take than Kinsler.

"I think we're aware of what's going on," the manager said. "I understand the emotion of the game a little bit, the frustration he's felt up to this point. I'm not excusing anything by any stretch, but understanding what it feels like to go to the plate every day and grind and struggle. The world we live in, you hear a lot of hostility, so some of that comes out at times."

Green said the Padres have an "outstanding" fan base, and that fans have the right to express displeasure.

"We as professionals should handle that displeasure in a more positive way than it was handled today," Green said. "With him, he knows that. He's played the game a long time. ... Clearly not expressed well today. Ultimately, though, he's a passionate baseball player."

Green said he'd talk with Kinsler about it.

Kinsler's three-run shot off Richard Rodriguez (0-3) with two outs in the sixth gave the Padres a 4-2 lead and got them off the hook for some shoddy play. It was Kinsler's fifth.

Gregory Polanco made it a one-run game with a homer to right in the seventh, his third.

Adam Frazier singled to left off lefty Eric Lauer with two outs in the third to extend the Padres' streak of futility into record territory. The Padres remain the only major league team without a no-hitter. The previous longest streak of 8,019 games without a no-hitter from a franchise's inception was by the New York Mets, who got their first no-hitter, by Johan Santana, on June 1, 2012.

"It was still kind of early in the game," Frazier said. "It's pretty cool to extend that streak. I didn't know about it; just trying to get a hit. I'm glad we weren't the team that let them break that record, or whatever you want to call it."

The Padres have had pitchers take no-hitters into the eighth inning or beyond several times since their expansion season of 1969 but have never completed one. Some fans feel the franchise is cursed because manger Preston Gomez lifted Clay Kirby after eight no-hit innings against the New York Mets on June 21, 1970.

"It's not a record that we want. I think one's coming soon," Lauer said.

Adam Warren (3-1) pitched two-thirds of an inning for the win, and Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 17th save.

Reyes homered into the Padres' bullpen beyond the fence in left-center with one out in the third, his 13th.

The Pirates tied it in the fifth after the Padres gave them several extra chances, including when rookie Kevin Newman, who played locally at Poway High, doubled to shallow right on a ball that ticked off Kinsler's glove as the second baseman tried to make a basket catch while right fielder Reyes and first baseman Eric Hosmer also converged on the ball. Newman went on to score on Frazier's soft chopper to the right of the mound, beating Lauer's throw home.

The Pirates went ahead 2-1 on an unearned run in the sixth on two singles, an error and a wild pitch.

Williams, who played at nearby Rancho Bernardo High, left with two outs in the fourth after striking out Myers. He gave up one run and two hits, struck out five and walked one.

Williams loaded the bases with one out in the first on a walk, single and hit batter before striking out Alex Dickerson, who also played at Poway High, and getting Myers to ground out.

"I think it's hard to evaluate the outing. He was competing like he always does. He was going out there, making pitches," manager Clint Hurdle said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: Green said "it'd probably still be a little bit of a stretch" to expect rookie SS Fernando Tatis Jr., on the IL because of a strained left hamstring, to return to the team before the end of this seven-game homestand. Green said Tatis, who was hurt on April 28, still isn't running at 100 percent.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Jordan Lyles (3-1, 2.09 ERA), who pitched with San Diego for parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons, is scheduled to start Friday night.

Padres: LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-2, 4.57) held the Pirates to one hit in five innings in a 4-3 victory at Petco Park on June 30.

WASHINGTON -- Nothing has come easy for the 2019 Washington Nationals.

That includes simple tasks like ... winning a series. On Thursday, the Nationals eked out a 7-6 victory over the visiting New York Mets, giving them their first series win in a month.

Since taking two of three from the as-expected lowly Giants in mid-April, the almost-as-lowly-but-surprisingly-so Nats hadn't come out on top in seven consecutive series. Although there's little to no shame in getting the business end of meetings with teams like the Brewers, Cardinals and Phillies -- all of whom victimized Washington recently -- there's all kinds of shame in getting bested by the Marlins.

Yes, those Marlins.

When the Nats kicked off their seven-series skid by dropping two of three in Miami, they earned the dubious distinction of becoming the only team to lose a series to the futile Fish this season. And they did so despite the fact that both Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg -- two of the National League's premier pitchers -- took the hill during that set.

Nearly a month later, the exact opposite happened: They bested the Mets during a series in which neither Scherzer nor Strasburg pitched. But outfielder Gerardo Parra did.

Actually, that's a lie -- Parra didn't pitch. But given the extent of his contributions against the Mets, it was as if he did. In the finale against New York on Thursday, Parra reached base all four times he batted, going 3-for-3 with a home run, a double and a walk, and driving in three runs. He also started at first base, a position the 32-year-old outfielder had played only a couple dozen times in his career prior to signing with Nationals last week. Oh, and he stole a base too.

"He brings fire, he brings that energy," catcher Kurt Suzuki said of his new teammate, who was released by San Francisco after hitting .198 over the first month of the season. In his second game with Washington, Parra hit a grand slam against the Dodgers and has now driven in more runs in five games with his new team than he did in 30 games with his old one. "He can spark the club a little bit and he's done it before," Suzuki said. "He's playing really well for us and we're really excited to have him on our team."

It's not like the Nationals had much of a choice. With starter Ryan Zimmerman on the shelf (plantar fasciitis) and backup Matt Adams (shoulder) keeping him company, and with utility man Howie Kendrick dealing with neck stiffness, Washington needed somebody to play first base. Anybody. Even if that body is (generously) listed at only 5-foot-11 and isn't used to playing there.

"It's not easy," Parra said of manning the cold corner. "People think first base is easy. I do my best."

So far, Parra's best hasn't exactly been Gold Glove material. In the Mets series, there were multiple instances where batters reached base thanks to less-than-perfect throws that a more experienced first baseman might have handled with relative ease. To his credit, though, Parra has yet to be charged with an error since joining Washington.

He's not the only one -- the entire Nationals team went errorless against New York, just like it did during its previous four-game set against the Dodgers. Prior to that, the Nats hadn't gone a single series without committing a miscue. Although errors aren't the defensive measuring stick they used to be, the fact that Washington has gone seven games without flubbing is a big deal for a deeply disappointing club that spent the first quarter of the season looking sloppy and sleepwalkerish.

"They played really well the last few days," said manager Dave Martinez, whose club was expected to contend for the NL East title but is currently seven games under .500, even with the recent uptick. "That's what we've talked about, playing clean baseball."

For Washington, playing clean baseball is a whole lot easier now that third baseman Anthony Rendon is back on the field. When Rendon -- one of the game's most complete but underrated players -- went down with an elbow contusion April 20, the Nats were hovering right around .500. They proceeded to lose 10 of their next 15 games. His return has been a stabilizing force, both in the field and at the plate. Getting Trea Turner back -- the speedy shortstop broke his finger in early April and could make his return as soon as this weekend -- will be a huge boost, too.

But perhaps the best news of all, at least in the near term, is that the Nationals are riding a two-game winning streak. (Hey, don't laugh: If they win one more, it'll be their first three-game streak of the season, which would leave Miami as the only team that hasn't won three straight.) With Scherzer and Strasburg slated to pitch the next two days, the possibilities suddenly seem limitless for Washington. Or at least as limitless as they can seem for a club that has the second-worst record in the NL and is about to throw down with a red-hot Cubs squad that has the second-best record.

"Feels pretty good," Martinez said when asked what it was like to finally win a series.

So what if it almost didn't happen. So what if closer Sean Doolittle almost coughed up a three-run lead in the ninth inning, when he fanned Keon Broxton with the bases loaded to seal the deal. The bottom line is that, drama or no drama, the deal was ultimately sealed. These days in D.C., that's cause for celebration.

Said Martinez: "I'm going to have a glass of wine."

INDIANAPOLIS – Ed Jones of Ed Carpenter Racing was the fastest driver in Thursday’s abbreviated Indianapolis 500 practice session, with a fast lap at 227.843 mph in his No. 63 Chevrolet.

He ran his fast time on lap eight and completed 37 laps on Thursday. Takuma Sato, winner of the 101st Indianapolis 500, was second in a Honda at 226.699 mph. The day was brought to an early end because of a rain storm that struck the track just after 4:30 p.m.

Jones was Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 2017 and this is his first season with ECR.

RELATED: Alonso Misses Out On Track Time At Indy

“Since joining the team, the first thing you think about is, as a driver anyway, you want to be quicker in the Indianapolis 500, and I knew as soon as the deal was done, that was going to be a reality,” Jones said. “So far, it’s been so good.

“It’s great to be part of Scuderia Corsa and Ed Carpenter Racing, and a lot of credit to Ed Carpenter, running a third car. With other teams maybe, a lot of times where the third cars aren’t quite the same as the two main ones, and as we’ve seen so far this week and also last year with Danica Patrick, they’ve done a great job with that third car and giving us an opportunity to be fighting at the front.

“I’m grateful for that and looking forward to how the rest of the week progresses.”

Jones likes the idea that the owner of the team is also a driver. Because of that, it’s easier to share data with the team’s other drivers including Carpenter and Spencer Pigot.

“It’s quite a different concept,” Jones said. “And for sure it’s beneficial because, as a driver, you see things differently to how a team owner would see them sometimes, and vice versa.

“Ed sees it, and he knows what it takes to have a good team around here, what it takes to produce those results. I’ve been learning from him. Again, I’ve been fortunate with the teammates I’ve had the past three years, with Sebastien, who was just up here, Scott last year, and now Ed as well. I think, if you’re going to pick three guys to learn from as teammates around the speedway, I think those are probably near the top of the list.

“I’ve been happy with that, and again just trying to learn as much as I can.”

Jones also led the ever-important now tow speeds. Those are times without the aid of another car 10 seconds in front or 10 seconds behind a car when it is clocked. That means it’s a pure speed and not benefited by a draft.

Pigot was second on the no tow list followed by Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and Charlie Kimball. All of the top five of the no tow group were Chevrolets.

There was one major crash in Thursday’s action.

Carlin rookie Patricio O’Ward slammed hard into the turn two wall at 12:20 p.m. Eastern Time and went airborne for a few hundred feet before landing on its wheels Thursday in practice. The crash practice for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 was the second time in as many days a rookie driver has hit the turn two wall after losing front aero balance in turn two.

O’Ward’s Dallara/Chevrolet flew like a wing but did not rollover. That minimized the impact of the crash. The 19-year-old driver from Mexico was able to climb out of the car with minimal assistance from the AMR IndyCar Safety Team.

He was taken to the IU Health Infield Care Center for evaluation. The tub for Carlin appears to have suffered front damage, which means the team will have to switch to a backup car and scrub the primary chassis.

“I’m OK,” O’Ward said after his release. “I went for a ride. There are two kinds of people at IMS – the ones who are going to hit the wall and the ones who have already hit the wall.

“Oh, I hit hard. I felt it and maybe hit the side of the monocoque. My hands are a bit sore. The good thing is we are OK. It looks like I just lost it, I guess. There is not much more I can say about that. It looks like I’m OK. The team is going to get a car ready for the next sessions or for Friday. They are getting the spare car ready.”

Fernando Alonso, who crashed his McLaren during practice on Wednesday, failed to turn a lap while his team worked to prepare his backup car. The team had hoped to have the car on track by 1 or 2 p.m., but the team was still working on his car when the rain storm hit the track and ended all on-track activity for the remainder of the day.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Boston Bruins expect captain Zdeno Chara to be ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Chara missed the deciding Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday with an undisclosed injury. The Bruins eliminated the Carolina Hurricanes with a 4-0 win.

"We don't believe it is serious," coach Bruce Cassidy said of Chara's injury.

Cassidy found out on Thursday morning that Chara would be unavailable.

Chara, a 42-year-old defenseman, ended a run of 98 straight playoff games dating back to 2011. John Moore replaced him in the lineup.

After the final buzzer, Chara was in uniform and came onto the ice to celebrate with his teammates and take part in the post-series handshake line. The Bruins reached their third Stanley Cup final in nine years.

Chara had been set to play in his 176th career playoff game, which would have tied him with current San Jose Sharks player Joe Thornton and Mike Modano for 40th all-time in playoff games.

Chara typically plays on the Bruins' top pairing alongside Charlie McAvoy. In 16 playoff games this spring, Chara has averaged 22:32 of ice time per game, with one goal and two assists.

As each NHL team is eliminated from the playoffs, we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2018-19, along with three keys to its offseason, impact prospects for 2019-20 and a way-too-early prediction for what next season will hold.

What went wrong

A lot went right for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018-19, and a lot went even better than planned. As general manager Don Waddell told ESPN in April: "We'd all probably be telling a fib if we said we thought we'd be here at this point. Certainly we thought we'd be a playoff-bound team. We felt good about the changes we made to the roster. But to end up with 99 points is probably more than we thought. The biggest thing is gaining respect back with the community. That's a big step we've taken this year. We'd always say, 'Next year is going to be the year, next year ...'"

The Hurricanes not only made the playoffs, snapping the NHL's longest postseason drought, but they knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round, then swept the league's best defensive team in the second.

But once they got to the Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Bruins -- who have the league's hottest goaltender this postseason and saw all four lines producing -- proved to be too much. Carolina had a hard time rediscovering the game that got it to this point, and it was clear that physical and mental exhaustion had set in. The Hurricanes unraveled in the first two games. When the series shifted to Carolina, the Canes threw the kitchen sink at the Bruins in the first period of Game 3. They had 33 scoring chances in the first period alone. But Tuukka Rask was a wall, the Bruins mustered enough offense, and Carolina was defeated. That was too much to recover from.

Let's go back to some bigger-picture positives, because again, this season was not a failure by any means.

The Canes have identified a coach of the future in Rod Brind'Amour, who connected with his players and put together a terrific product on the ice. They established an identity. And as Waddell alluded to, they built back trust in the community. Thanks to the playoff run, by the first round the Canes were already at $2.5 million in new business for season tickets for 2019-20 after being at $400,000 at the same time a year previously. That's a total win.

Bruins sweep Hurricanes to reach Stanley Cup Final

Tuukka Rask posted his seventh career playoff shutout, and the Boston Bruins swept the Carolina Hurricanes out of the Eastern Conference final, winning 4-0 on Thursday night to reach their third Stanley Cup Final in nine years.