MIAMI -- It had been 17 days since Zach Eflin last competed on a Major League mound. It had been nearly three weeks since the Rays won a game without having to come from behind.

They all got what they needed on Wednesday night at loanDepot park. The Rays scored three runs in the first inning, giving Eflin a lead before he touched the mound, and stayed ahead all night. No comebacks necessary.

The Rays looked more like themselves all around in a 5-3 win over the Marlins, which completed a two-game series sweep. After trailing at some point in each of their last 15 games, the Rays never fell behind in the series finale, the first time they’ve won a game that way since May 17 in Toronto.

“It was awesome to see a three-run first inning, having not pitched in 17 days,” Eflin said, smiling. “Definitely, I was really excited about that. They did great tonight, so it was fun.”

The Rays have won 23 of 26 games against the Marlins since the start of the 2019 season. Their latest victory brought them back to .500, at 31-31, for the first time since May 22. Granted, the Marlins are 20 games under .500, at 21-41, but there were encouraging signs in how the Rays swept this series.

The Rays’ 9-5 victory on Tuesday night was their first win by more than three runs since a 7-2 triumph over the Yankees on May 11, a rare non-nailbiter for a team that’s played 30 games decided by two runs or fewer. They followed that up by going wire-to-wire with a lead on Wednesday.

More importantly, the Rays have won three games in a row and five of their last seven heading into a tough stretch of their schedule that starts this weekend with a four-game set against the Orioles at Tropicana Field.

“You've got to feel good about how we've played here as of late,” manager Kevin Cash said.

A night after breaking out with nine runs on 12 hits, the Rays jumped out to an early lead against lefty Braxton Garrett thanks to a pair of run-scoring doubles by Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe.

They tacked on two more runs in the third. Randy Arozarena, who walked twice on Wednesday after reaching safely five times on Tuesday night, hit a leadoff double to left. Brandon Lowe slapped an RBI single to left, then Paredes pulled another RBI double to the left-field corner off Garrett.

“I think the last game in Baltimore kind of got the confidence going,” Paredes added through interpreter Manny Navarro. “Anyone that's getting on base, we're trying to do our best to try to get them in.”

For much of the season, Paredes has been the Rays’ only consistently productive hitter. But that could be changing, if the last few days are any indication.

Josh Lowe is back from the injured list. Brandon Lowe is 6-for-15 over his last four games, results more in line with how he’s felt at the plate since his stint on the IL. And Arozarena has gone 4-for-11 with six walks since making a minor mechanical adjustment to use his legs more and stabilize his upper body.

“Randy's at-bats over the last three or four games have been really impressive, so that might be the most encouraging thing, the way he's seeing the ball,” Cash said. “Those guys are such a big part of our offense. Nice to see them all contributing on the same night.”

The five early runs proved to be plenty of support for Eflin and Tampa Bay’s bullpen.

Making his first start since May 18 due to lower back inflammation, Eflin put together an effective outing in his return from the injured list. The right-hander gave up two runs on three hits in the first inning then retired the final 10 hitters he faced in order.

“Felt good. First inning kind of felt like I was getting my feet wet again. But the longer I was out there, the more comfortable I got,” Eflin said. “Got in rhythm a little bit. [Catcher Ben Rortvedt] did a great job behind the dish of leading me, so ultimately I felt good being back.”

Eflin worked four innings, making the most of a pitch count that was limited due to the time he missed, and even campaigned for a fifth based on how strong he felt. With a rested bullpen and another off-day on deck Thursday, the Rays rolled out five relievers to finish the game.

“It feels like things are clicking right now,” Eflin said. “You've just got to keep riding it as long as we can, enjoy a nice off-day in the big leagues tomorrow and get back to work.”