Zach Eflin works 6 scoreless innings, Jose Siri homers twice and the Rays beat the Nationals 3-1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Zach Eflin worked six scoreless innings, Jose Siri homered twice and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Friday night.

The Rays' Yandy Díaz singled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to a team-record 20 games, surpassing Jason Bartlett's mark set in 2009. Tampa Bay was the only team not to have a player with a 20-game hitting streak.

“That's pretty awesome, pretty special,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

With the win, Tampa Bay improved to 41-41. The Rays haven't been over .500 since May 21.

Washington slipped to 2-5 on a nine-game trip.

Eflin (4-5) scattered four hits, struck out six and snapped a five-start winless streak. Pete Fairbanks, the third Rays' reliever, worked the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances, closing out the five-hitter.

“I had a pretty bad bullpen pregame, so that means I was going to be pretty accurate in the game,” Eflin said. “That's just how it works for me.”

Siri had a solo homer in the second inning before Isaac Paredes added an RBI single that put the Rays up 2-0 in the third inning. Mitchell Parker (5-4) kept the Nationals close he when struck out José Caballero with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Siri's second homer of the game and 11th of the season off Jacob Barnes in the sixth inning made it 3-0.

Washington's Jacob Young got his second double of the game in the seventh, stole third for his 19th stolen base and scored on catcher Alex Jackosn's throwing error.

“We just couldn't get anything going,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.

Parker gave up two runs and six hits in five innings. The rookie left-hander has allowed three earned runs or less in 13 of 14 career starts.

Nationals left fielder Jesse Winker left the game with a bruised knee after he caught his cleats on the turf, stumbled and fell hard to the ground at the wall while catching Paredes’ fly to end the first.

“He's going to be OK,” Martinez said. “It looked worse than it was. He made a nice play just to recover and catch the ball because when he started falling down I thought he’s going to get hit in the head with the ball.”

Washington shortstop CJ Abrams stayed in the game after getting hit in the hand by a pitch in the first.

Martinez said X-rays on Abrams were negative.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: INF Joey Gallo (strained left hamstring) hit off a tee and continued his running progression. … RHP Josiah Gray (right elbow-forearm strain) could go seven innings or 90 pitches an his next start Sunday with Triple-A Rochester.

Rays: 2B Brandon Lowe (broken right pinky toe) pinch hit in the seventh after missing four games. … LHP Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John surgery) gave up three runs in three innings and threw 48 pitches in his fourth start for Triple-A Durham.

UP NEXT

Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (5-6, 3.13 ERA) will pitch against Rays RHP Aaron Civale (2-5, 5.20 ERA) on Saturday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Washington Nationals reliever Jacob Barnes watches a throw to a Tampa Bay Rays batter during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Tampa Bay Rays' Ben Rortvedt, left, and Josh Lowe, right, congratulate Jose Siri, center, in the dugout after his solo home run off Washington Nationals starter Mitchell Parker during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Díaz claps as he reaches first base with a single to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, during the third inning of the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez watches from the dugout during the third inning of the team's baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Díaz watches a single to center field off Washington Nationals starter Mitchell Parker during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Tampa Bay Rays first base coach Michael Johns, right, congratulates Jose Siri, who runs the bases after hitting a solo home run off Washington Nationals starter Mitchell Parker during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Washington Nationals starter Mitchell Parker pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Tampa Bay Rays starter Zach Eflin pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Mongolia's ruling party won a much smaller majority in a parliamentary election than it had held previously, according to official results released on Monday, raising the possibility of a return to a coalition government for the first time in eight years.

The Mongolian People's Party took 68 seats in the 126-seat body in Friday's nationwide vote, while the opposition Democratic Party won 42, according to a certified list of winners posted on the General Election Commission website. The remaining 16 seats were divided among smaller parties.

The commission presented the final results to the country's president on Monday shortly before handing out membership cards to the newly elected lawmakers at a ceremony in the State Palace, a grand building in the capital city that houses the parliament chamber and the offices of the president and the prime minister.

The ceremony, held in a palace auditorium, was a time for hearty handshakes and backslapping embraces as lawmakers congratulated each other on their victories. As their names were read out, they went on stage one-by-one to receive a card in a folded, wallet-size protector that certified them as members of parliament.

The People's Party won overwhelmingly in the previous two elections, taking 62 of 76 seats in the previous race in 2020, and ruled the country singlehandedly. A constitutional revision last year added 50 seats to the parliament.

Mongolian media reports said that the ruling party was discussing formulas for a coalition with both the Democratic Party and the HUN party, which won eight seats. Cabinet positions would be divvied up among the coalition members, the reports said. There was no official confirmation of the discussions.

The last coalition government in Mongolia was one led by the Democratic Party from 2012 to 2016. After eight years of one-party rule, this year's election showed a desire among voters to return to a more balanced system.

Ahead of Monday's ceremony, a former Democratic Party lawmaker who started her own party two years ago held a news conference to criticize allegedly unfair campaign tactics by the People's Party.

Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, the founder and leader of the Civic Unity Party, accused the People's Party of using state power and access to a government database and employees to give itself an unfair advantage in the race.

“The Civic Unity Party cannot and will not congratulate the Mongolian People’s Party for its victory,” she said. "It’s not real victory. ... It’s a result of intimidation and repression.”

She spoke with five other candidates from her party, which did not win any seats in the election.

Mongolia transitioned to democracy in the early 1990s after more than six decades as a one-party communist state. The vast and sparsely populated landlocked country sits between China and Russia.

Ruling Mongolian People's Party lawmaker Damdinnyam Gongor is congratulated as he attends a ceremony to handout Parliamentary membership card to newly elected lawmakers at the Mongolian Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Newly elected opposition Democratic Party lawmaker J. Bayasgalan holds up his Parliamentary membership cards during a ceremony at the Mongolian Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Journalists watch as newly elected lawmakers walk on stage to receive their parliamentary membership cards at the Mongolian Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Ruling Mongolian People's Party lawmaker Damdinnyam Gongor is congratulated on stage upon receiving his Parliamentary membership card handed out to newly elected lawmakers at the Mongolian Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Attendees stand for the anthem during a ceremony to handout Parliamentary membership cards to newly elected lawmakers at the Mongolian Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)