Athletics 3, Mariners 2

Another solid outing from Mike Fiers and Jed Lowrie's 100th career home run helped surging Oakland move a step closer to first place in the AL West.

Seattle, which was eight games ahead of Oakland six weeks ago, is just trying to stick around in the wild-card race, a task that got a little tougher following an injury to ace James Paxton's pitching arm.

Jed Lowrie hit a two-run homer after his line drive knocked Paxton out of the game in the first inning, and Oakland beat Seattle on Tuesday night to move within one game of slumping Houston.

Fiers (8-6) gave up two runs on six hits in six innings with five strikeouts in his second start since being acquired in a trade from Detroit.

Oakland won its fourth straight and improved to 17-6 since the All-Star break. The Astros have been in first since June 14 and led by as many as six games in late July, while the A's haven't had a share of first place this late in a season since Aug. 25, 2014.

The A's are 38-12 since June 16, their best 50-game stretch since 2005

"We feel good," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "We've got some confidence, obviously, because of the stretch. But I don't think anybody's thinking about that right now. We're just trying to win."

It got a bit easier after Paxton's early exit. He allowed a home run to Marcus Semien and struck out Matt Chapman before Lowrie lined a 2-1 pitch up the middle that hit the left-hander.

"It got all muscle," Paxton said. "It's just swollen right now. It tightened up right away. By the time I walked off the mound it was starting to puff up."

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Paxton will miss at least one start.

"We'll know more in the next coming days and how the swelling is," Servais said. "It's unfortunate, but looking on the bright side, we probably got a little lucky. It could have been a lot, lot worse."

Felix Hernandez replaced Paxton in the first relief appearance of his career after 398 starts. The former Cy Young Award winner, who has struggled all year and was demoted to the bullpen last week, allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

"It was weird," Hernandez said. "I just grabbed the ball and tried to throw as many pitches as I could, trying to get loose. I know my body, I know my arm. I was ready to go."

Hernandez's stay in the bullpen might not last long. He's expected to take Paxton's turn in the rotation until the left-hander returns.

"Paxton has been a horse for us all year. He's had a great season," Servais said. "But there's nothing you can do. It was a comebacker that was hit really hard. I knew right away when I went out there it wasn't going to be good."

Robinson Cano returned to Seattle's lineup after serving an 80-game suspension for using a diuretic that can mask performance-enhancing drugs. The eight-time All-Star batted second and played first base, going 1 for 4.

Four Oakland relievers combined to pitch three scoreless innings. Blake Treinen worked the ninth for his 32nd save in 36 opportunities.

Hernandez (8-11) walked Khris Davis but pitched out of the jam in the first. He ran into trouble in the third after a two-out walk to Chapman. Lowrie followed with his 19th homer this season.

"It was a pretty good curveball. I think he was sitting on it," Hernandez said. "I just have to attack the hitters, attack the strike zone and make good pitches."

Cameron Maybin homered for Seattle.

Rockies 5, Astros 1

Nolan Arenado hated his first career appearance at designated hitter Tuesday night.

However, the Colorado slugger couldn't be mad at his results at the plate.

Arenado and Trevor Story each went deep, German Marquez pitched well in a clash with Justin Verlander, and the Rockies beat Houston.

Colorado trailed by 1 and Verlander (11-8) had retired 13 of 14 when DJ LeMahieu singled with two outs in the sixth inning. Arenado then smacked a 96 mph fastball into the third row in right field for his 30th homer to put Colorado up 2-1.

Arenado, who has spent his entire six-year career playing in the National League with Colorado, had made each his 825 career appearances at third base entering Tuesday's game.

"It was awful," he said of not playing defense. "I didn't like it. I hope I never have to DH."

His work at the plate made him the fourth player in franchise history to hit at least 30 homers in four straight years. Arenado didn't think it was gone when he hit it and had to wait for the crowd's reaction to know for sure.

"It got caught in the lights and then I heard the crowd go: 'oh' and that's when I knew it was still going," he said. "I just tried to stay on top of the ball."

Houston has matched a season high with five straight losses and extended its home skid to nine games, its longest of the season.

Oakland beat Seattle later Tuesday to move within a game of Houston in the AL West. The Astros have been in first place since June 14 and led the division by six games in late July.

"You feel like nothing's going your way and you're a little snake-bitten," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We're going to have to do more, obviously, and it's a challenge for me and our coaching staff to get more out of these guys to have a little bit more fun, a little bit more life. This is a very, very tough game and we're getting beat up, mentally and physically."

The Rockies have won four in a row after losing the previous three and improved to 12-5 against the AL this season to set a franchise record for interleague victories.

Collin McHugh took over from Verlander for the seventh and hit Ryan McMahon with a pitch. Tony Wolters lined a double to right field with one out to score McMahon and push the lead to 3-1.

Story, who had two hits, made it 4-1 when he connected off Brad Peacock on his 25th home run with two outs in the eighth inning.

Ian Desmond tripled and scored on a single by Charlie Blackmon to extend the lead in the ninth.

Marquez (10-9) allowed just three hits and a run while fanning seven in seven innings.

Verlander was denied his 200th win again as he dropped his second straight despite striking out 11 in six innings, allowing six hits and two runs.

After being swept in a four-game series against the Mariners this weekend, Houston's woes continued against the Rockies after a day off Monday. The top three batters in the order went 0 for 11 on a night the Astros managed just three hits as they look for a way to jumpstart their once-powerful offense with reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve out indefinitely with a sore knee.

Marquez walked two Astros and plunked Yuli Gurriel in the first four innings, but Houston didn't get a hit until Gurriel tripled on a ball to right-center field to start the fifth. Josh Reddick followed with a liner to right to put the Astros up 1-0.

The Astros had a chance to add on in the eighth when Marwin Gonzalez doubled with no outs. Reddick reached on catcher's interference with one out, but Marquez retired the next two batters to end the threat and his night.

Braves 10, Marlins 6

Ronald Acuna Jr. became the youngest player in major league history to homer in five straight games, hitting a leadoff shot on the first pitch and later adding a three-run drive to help surging Atlanta beat Miami.

The 20-year-old Acuna homered on Miami's first pitch for the second straight night and became the first player to hit a leadoff homer in three consecutive games since Baltimore's Brady Anderson went deep in four straight in 1996. On Monday, he became the fourth player in major league history to hit leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader.

Acuna connected in the first off Trevor Richards and homered to right-center, his 19th of the year, off Adam Conley (3-3) to give the Braves a 10-6 lead in the seventh.

Freddie Freeman hit his 20th homer to tie it in the sixth, and Dansby Swanson had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh as the NL East-leading Braves won for the 13th time in 17 games.

Acuna, who has homered in seven of his last eight games, and Charlie Culberson homered on Richards' first two pitches. Jesse Biddle (4-1) won in relief.

White Sox 6, Tigers 3

Ryan LaMarre hit his first major league home run, a drive that bounced off the top of the bullpen shelter in left field and into the hands of his uncle, as Chicago beat Detroit.

LaMarre was born 10 miles north of Comerica Park and played college baseball at Michigan.

Chicago won for the second time in eight games, improving to 2-9 against Detroit this season.

Lucas Giolito (8-9) allowed three runs in six innings. Xavier Cedeno got his first save since Aug. 11, 2015.

Blaine Hardy (4-5) gave up four runs in four innings.

Cardinals 6, Nationals 4

John Gant homered for his first major league hit and pitched one-run ball into the sixth inning, helping St. Louis to its season-high seventh consecutive victory.

Kolten Wong had three hits and three RBIs as St. Louis (65-55) pulled within four games of the NL Central-leading Cubs and moved within one game of the Phillies for the second NL wild card. The Cardinals also improved to 18-9 since Mike Shildt became interim manager on July 13, the most wins for a manager through his first 27 games in franchise history.

The Nationals (60-60) have dropped six of eight to fall eight games behind Atlanta in the NL East.

Gant (5-4) permitted four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He was 0 for 30 for his career when he drove a 1-1 pitch from Gio Gonzalez (7-9) over the wall in left in the second.

Jordan Hicks got three outs for his fourth save in eight chances.

Indians 8, Reds 1

Jose Ramirez hit his 36th home run and Cleveland ace Corey Kluber extended his dominance over Cincinnati.

The Indians have won the first two games of the series by a combined 18-4 despite a rough week with outfielder Leonys Martin hospitalized with a serious bacterial infection and right-hander Trevor Bauer on the DL with a fractured right leg.

Kluber (15-6) allowed one run and five hits and struck out seven in seven innings. In his past four starts against the Reds, he is 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

Sal Romano (7-10) left after allowing six runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings, the shortest start of his career.

Brewers 7, Cubs 0

Ryan Braun hit two of Milwaukee's four homers, Jhoulys Chacin struck out 10 in seven innings and the Brewers cut into the Cubs NL Central lead.

Lorenzo Cain homered on Jose Quintana's second pitch. Braun hit a two-run drive in the first and third. Erik Kratz added a solo homer in the sixth and an RBI double in the eighth.

Chacin (12-4) allowed three hits and walked two. The Brewers pulled within two games of the Cubs after dropping eight of 11 against them.

Quintana (10-9) got tagged for five runs and six hits in five innings after dominating the Brewers over seven previous starts.

Diamondbacks 6, Rangers 4

Paul Goldschmidt hit his 27th homer to put Arizona ahead to stay, and All-Star lefty Patrick Corbin worked seven innings for his 10th victory.

Corbin (10-4) struck out seven without a walk while allowing three runs and throwing 66 of 96 pitches for strikes. He has made 10 consecutive starts without allowing a homer, the longest span for the Diamondbacks in 15 years and matching Boston's Chris Sale for the longest active streak in the majors.

Goldschmidt went deep to left in the first with a solo shot off Yovani Gallardo (7-2). Arizona led 4-0 in the fourth after Daniel Descalso had an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch. Descalso earlier had an RBI groundout.

Brad Boxberger worked the ninth for his 27th save in 32 chances.

Twins 5, Pirates 2

Jorge Polanco got two hits, scored twice and drove in two runs and Miguel Sano hit a two-run homer, leading Minnesota over Pittsburgh.

Jake Odorizzi (5-7) won for the first time in six starts, striking out nine in 5 2/3 innings. Trevor Hildenberger, the Twins' fourth reliever, pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save since the trade of closer Fernando Rodney.

Jameson Taillon (9-9) finished six innings and allowed three earned runs, the 14th straight time he's taken the mound and surrendered no more than that.

Blue Jays 6, Royals 5

Kevin Pillar hit a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to lift Toronto over Kansas.

Blaine Boyer (2-1) retired his first two batters before walking Aledmys Diaz and backing Pillar into an 0-2 count. Pillar hit the next pitch over the wall down the left field line.

Ken Giles worked a perfect ninth for his 14th save and second with the Blue Jays since being acquired from Houston on July 30.

Salvador Perez and Jorge Bonifacio hit back-to-back doubles in the seventh off Jake Petricka (2-1) to give the Royals a short-lived 5-4 lead.