Mariners continue fight for AL wild card with 8-1 win over Astros

HOUSTON (AP) — Mitch Garver and Julio Rodríguez homered, and the Seattle Mariners took advantage of five Houston errors during an 8-1 victory over the Astros on Wednesday.

Seattle (82-77) won for the fifth time in seven games as it tries to rally into an AL wild card. It is chasing Detroit and Kansas City for one of the last two spots.

“We’ve got three now to go and we just keep grinding,” manager Dan Wilson said. “We've got everything right in front of us. Three games that we have to win and probably have to get some help along the way, too. But we've just got to do what we do and not worry about anything else.”

The Mariners were down 1-0 before rallying in the sixth. Dylan Moore reached on the first of four errors by rookie third baseman Shay Whitcomb, who entered in the fourth. Victor Robles walked and Cal Raleigh hit a one-out single to load the bases.

Justin Turner then extended his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games with his single on a line drive to left field that scored two.

Garver opened the seventh with his 14th homer on a line drive into the seats in left field. The Mariners added two more runs in the inning thanks to three errors by the Astros, including two more by Whitcomb.

“Offensively we had some breaks later, we took advantage of some of their miscues,” Wilson said. “We were able to keep adding on later in the game.”

A fourth error by Whitcomb allowed Moore to reach with no outs in the ninth, and he scored on a double by Robles. Rodríguez then hit his 20th homer of the season.

“I’ll have a conversation with (Whitcomb) but we'll turn the page,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “This is a sure-handed third baseman. He’s done it in the minor leagues."

Yusei Kikuchi (9-10) struck out eight in six innings in his first loss with Houston. He was charged with two unearned runs and four hits.

The Astros won Kikuchi's first nine starts after he was acquired in a July 29 trade with Toronto. He went 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA during that stretch.

George Kirby (14-11) pitched six innings of four-hit ball in his third consecutive win for Seattle. He struck out six and walked one.

Victor Caratini hit an RBI single in the third for the Astros, who played without many of their regulars a day after clinching their fourth straight AL West title.

There was a special moment for Alex Bregman in the fourth inning of what could be his final regular-season home game at Minute Maid Park. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

Bregman trotted out to third base, but Espada lifted him for a defensive replacement before the inning started. Bregman slowly walked to the dugout as he received a standing ovation. He paused before entering the dugout and tipped his cap to the crowd.

He admitted that the moment got to him.

“A little bit,” he said. “But I'm trying to just stay focused on the postseason, to be honest with you. Maybe at the end of the year we’ll be able to look back and reflect on it, but right now my mindset is win."

Selected by Houston with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 amateur draft, Bregman has spent his entire career with the Astros.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: OF/DH Yordan Alvarez will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, instead staying in Houston to receive treatment on his sprained right knee. Espada said Alvarez had improved Wednesday and that some of the swelling had subsided since he was injured on a slide Sunday.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Open a three-game series against the Athletics on Friday night in Seattle.

Astros: Traveling to Cleveland for a three-game series starting Friday night.

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

Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press