The Padres welcomed back the real Dylan Cease and then leaned on their bullpen to beat an excellent team on Sunday.

They would like that to be a formula that works for a while.

A 6-2 victory over the Red Sox, who hold the American League’s second wild-card spot and opened the series Friday night with their eighth victory in nine games, was the kind that suggests the Padres are up for a run well into October.

In winning their fourth consecutive series, the Padres moved to a season-high 14 games over .500 (66-52) and improved their standing in the National League wild-card race. They sit in the fifth of six spots, three games ahead of the Mets.

After they built a 5-0 lead, their 11th victory in 14 games had just a few tense moments.

Cease tired after six scoreless innings and left Jason

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