Zach Eflin pitched six innings without allowing any runs, Jose Siri hit two home runs, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Friday night.
Yandy Díaz of the Rays singled in the third inning, extending his hitting streak to a team-record 20 games, surpassing Jason Bartlett’s mark set in 2009. Tampa Bay was the only team without a player having a hitting streak of 20 games.
“That’s really awesome, really special,” Rays manager Kevin Cash remarked.
With this victory, Tampa Bay improved to a 41-41 record. The Rays have not had a winning record since May 21. Washington now has a 2-5 record on a nine-game road trip.
Eflin (4-5) allowed four hits, struck out six batters, and ended a streak of five starts without a win. Pete Fairbanks, the third reliever for the Rays, pitched the ninth inning for his 13th save in 15 opportunities, closing out the game with a total of five hits allowed.
“My bullpen session before the game wasn’t great, so that usually means I’ll pitch well in the game,” Eflin explained. “That’s just how it goes for me.”
Siri hit a solo home run in the second inning, and Isaac Paredes added an RBI single in the third inning to give the Rays a 2-0 lead. Mitchell Parker (5-4) of the Nationals struck out José Caballero with the bases loaded to limit the damage.
Siri’s second home run of the game and 11th of the season, off Jacob Barnes in the sixth inning, extended the Rays’ lead to 3-0.
In the seventh inning, Jacob Young of the Nationals hit his second double of the game, stole third base for his 19th stolen base of the season, and scored on a throwing error by catcher Alex Jackson.
“We just couldn’t get anything going,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. Parker allowed two runs and six hits over five innings. The rookie left-hander has given up three earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 14 career starts.
