Nick Margevicius pitched six scoreless innings as the Seattle Mariners kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 victory against the visiting Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Ty France and Kyle Seager hit run-scoring doubles for the Mariners (25-31), who are three games behind the Astros (28-28) for second place in the American League West with four games remaining. The top two teams in each division plus two wild cards will make the expanded playoffs in this pandemic-shortened season.

Margevicius (2-3) allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four. He avenged a 2-1 defeat in Houston on Aug. 15, when he gave up two runs on four hits over six innings.

Trailing 3-0, the Astros rallied against Mariners right-hander Yoshihisa Hirano in the ninth.

Kyle Tucker led off with a walk and Aledmys Diaz hit a two-out double down the left-field line, sending Tucker to third. Pinch hitter Josh Reddick's bloop single to center drove in both runners. George Springer grounded a single into right field, sending pinch runner Myles Straw to second, before Hirano struck out Jose Altuve to earn his fourth save of the season.

Astros right-hander Zack Greinke (3-3) suffered just his second loss to the Mariners in nine career decisions. Greinke allowed three runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, with one walk and five strikeouts.

Greinke allowed a run in the first inning before escaping a bases-loaded jam. With one out, Kyle Lewis and Seager hit back-to-back singles. France followed with a double to left, driving in Lewis. A two-out walk to Luis Torrens filled the bases, but Greinke struck out Evan White to end the threat.

The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth. With one out, J.P. Crawford singled. An out later, Seager doubled off the base of the wall in right-center field, with Crawford scoring on the play. France lined a run-scoring single to left to make it 3-0.

--Field Level Media