Astros 7, Mariners 6
SEATTLE -- Colby Rasmus delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning, and the Houston Astros overcame a rough outing from veteran starter Scott Kazmir to beat the Seattle Mariners 7-6 Wednesday night.
Houston (84-75) kept its slim hopes of winning the American League West title alive while moving past the Los Angeles Angels in the AL wild-card standings. The Astros are a half-game ahead of Los Angeles, which opens a four-game series with Texas on Thursday while Houston takes its final off day.
The Rangers (86-72) hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Astros in the division, three games over the Angels (83-75).
In the seventh, Rasmus followed a one-out triple by designated hitter Evan Gattis with a hit to left field off Danny Farquhar (1-7), giving the Astros a 7-6 lead.
Houston rallied back from a 6-3 deficit on first baseman Chris Carter's three-run homer in the sixth.
Reliever Tony Sipp (3-4) earned the win after throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings, while closer Luke Gregerson worked a shutout ninth to notch his 31st save of the season.
The Mariners (75-84) had runners on base in the eighth and ninth innings but couldn't deliver the big hit. Houston finished off the win when center fielder Carlos Gomez turned a double play on a fly out, throwing to first to double up pinch runner James Jones for the final out.
Second baseman Robinson Cano had four hits for the Mariners, while catcher Jesus Sucre added a career-high three hits.
Houston third baseman Luis Valbuena hit a solo homer, while Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa also drove in runs.
Back-to-back home runs from third baseman Kyle Seager and designated hitter Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the fifth inning put the Mariners in front 6-3. Seager's three-run homer on the first pitch he saw was his 26th of the season, establishing a career high. Three pitches later, Cruz took Kazmir deep for a solo home run, his 44th of the season.
The Mariners had five consecutive hits in the fifth, ending Kazmir's day after 4 1/3 innings. The lefty allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits.
Valbuena sparked a three-run top of the fifth inning with a leadoff home run as the Astros took a 3-2 lead. Altuve and Correa added RBIs in the frame.
The damage could have been worse if not for a baserunning error that, after an instant-replay challenge, resulted in Carter being called out at third base. Carter, who had followed the Valbuena home run with a walk, appeared to move to third base on a single by catcher Jason Castro. But Carter momentarily came off the bag while Seager held the tag at third, and after review Carter was ruled out. Altuve followed that with an RBI double, scoring Castro to tie the score 2-2.
The Astros bungled through a rough second inning that included two errors, two wild pitches and a pair of unearned runs as Seattle took a 2-0 lead.
Seattle starter Tony Zych, a reliever who was making his first major league start, allowed three hits over 2 2/3 scoreless innings while throwing 39 pitches. After original starter James Paxton was scratched earlier in the week due to a torn fingernail, the Mariners went into Wednesday's game with a pitch-by-committee plan. Mayckol Guiape and Logan Kensing, Seattle's first two relievers out of the bullpen, gave up five hits and a walk in the three-run fifth.
NOTES: Houston CF Carlos Gomez was in the starting lineup for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks Wednesday. Gomez's last start came on Sept. 12, as a back injury limited him to just two games as a late-inning replacement. ... The Mariners announced that they are shutting RHP Felix Hernandez down for the rest of the season. Hernandez (18-9) originally was scheduled to start Friday's game against Oakland, but the organization decided not to add any more innings to his 29-year-old arm. ... Houston announced LHP Dallas Keuchel will start Friday's opener of the final series in Arizona. Keuchel (19-8) is seeking his first 20-win season. He will move one spot up in the rotation to stay on his usual four days of rest, with RHP Collin McHugh moving back to Saturday.