Mariners continue to fight for AL wildcard with 8-1 win over Astros

HOUSTON (AP) — Mitch Garver and Julio Rodríguez hit home runs and the Seattle Mariners took advantage of five Houston errors in their 8-1 victory over the Astros on Wednesday.

Seattle (82-77) won for the fifth time in seven games and is trying to secure a spot in the AL Wild Card, chasing Detroit and Kansas City for one of the last two spots.

The Mariners trailed 1-0 before catching up in the sixth inning. Dylan Moore reached first base on the first of four errors by rookie third baseman Shay Whitcomb, who came on in the fourth inning. Victor Robles worked a walk and Cal Raleigh hit a one-out single to load the bases.

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

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

A fourth-out error by Whitcomb allowed Moore to get through the ninth inning with no outs, and he scored on a double by Robles. Rodríguez then hit his 20th home run of the season.

Yusei Kikuchi (9-10) had eight strikeouts in six innings in his first loss to Houston. He was credited with two unearned runs and four hits.

The Astros won Kikuchi's first nine starts after acquiring him in a trade from Toronto on July 29. During that time, he went 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

George Kirby (14-11) pitched six innings with four hits in his third straight win for Seattle. He struck out six players and walked one.

Victor Caratini hit an RBI single in the third inning for the Astros, who played without many of their regular players a day after clinching their fourth consecutive 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 to be a free agent after this season.

Bregman trotted to third base, but manager Joe Espada brought him in as a defensive replacement before the inning began. Bregman walked slowly to the dugout and received a standing ovation. Before entering the dugout, he paused and tipped his hat to the crowd.

Bregman was selected number 2 overall by Houston in the 2015 amateur draft and has spent his entire career with the Astros.

TRAINING ROOM

Astros: OF/DH Yordan Alvarez will not accompany the team on its upcoming road trip but will remain in Houston to receive treatment for his sprained right knee. Espada said Alvarez's condition improved Wednesday and the swelling has gone down a bit since he was injured in a slide on Sunday.

Next

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

Astros: Travel to Cleveland for a three-game series that begins Friday night.

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

Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press