Red-hot A's keep Astros from making up ground in wild-card race

Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom each had two hits and one RBI to help the Athletics hand the Houston Astros a damaging 5-1 loss Tuesday night in West Sacramento, Calif.

Darell Hernaiz also had an RBI hit and Jeffery Springs and three relievers combined on a three-hitter for the Athletics (74-83). Wilson also walked twice and scored twice as the A's won for the eighth time in the past 11 games.

Cam Smith drove in the run for the Astros (84-73), who lost their fourth consecutive contest. Christian Walker had two hits.

Houston sits one game behind the Detroit Tigers for the final American League wild-card berth.

The Astros fell to four games behind Seattle in the AL West with five games left. The Mariners also hold the tiebreaker after posting a three-game sweep of Houston over the weekend.

Springs (11-11) gave up one run on three hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Tyler Ferguson pitched two perfect innings and Justin Sterner induced a double-play grounder from Jose Altuve while tossing a hitless eighth. Michael Kelly finished up with a scoreless ninth.

Houston's Cristian Javier (2-4) allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.

The A's took the lead for good in the fourth inning as Wilson doubled with one out and scored when a blooper by Hernaiz fell into shallow left-center field beyond the reach of Astros shortstop Mauricio Dubon.

The Athletics tacked on two runs in the fifth to make it 4-1.

Brett Harris had a leadoff double and scored on Soderstrom's RBI double. After Brent Rooker walked, Wilson stroked a single to right off Jayden Murray.

The A's got an insurance run in the eighth when Wilson scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Cortes.

The Athletics pushed across an unearned run in the first inning.

Nick Kurtz led off with a double and two outs later, Rooker appeared to hit an inning-ending popup down the first-base line. Astros first baseman Walker apparently couldn't locate the ball in the sun and Javier made a late effort to catch it but was unable to as Kurtz came around to score.

Houston loaded the bases with nobody out in the second but managed just one run, that coming on Smith's sacrifice fly for the second out of the inning. Dubon struck out swinging to end the rally.

--Field Level Media