Díaz Sparkles in Return to Houston as Astros Top Athletics

The last place Oakland Athletics were able to keep pace with the Houston Astros, but not for long. Facing Lance McCullers Jr., the now healthy righty had a start to inspire.

McCullers was dominant. His sinker was as fast as it had been in six starts in 2022 at 95.6 mph while generating 16 swings and misses, seven coming on the slider. Those swings and misses got McCullers Jr. up to 11 strikeouts, his most since July 29, 2018 and one shy of his career-high 12.

Despite all that, the Astros were down after the top half of the fourth. After scoring one on a Yordan Álvarez double in the third, the Astros fell behind 2-1 when Dermis Garcia lined a single into left field with the bases loaded and out out.

McCullers worked himself into that situation with walks, but he got himself out with strikeouts, getting Nick Allen swinging to end the fourth inning threat.

Houston knotted the game at two in their half of the fourth, the tying run coming from an unlikely source. Since joining Houston, Christian Vázquez was without an extra-base hit, but his double off the wall in left-center scored Trey Mancini to put the Astros back in the driver's seat.

From then on out, McCullers Jr. was unhittable. He struck out three in his remaining two innings without allowing a baserunner, while the bullpen followed his act in convincing fashion. A combination of Seth Martinez, Will Smith, Hector Neris and Rafael Montero allowed only one Athletics better to reach base the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, the Astros offense got to work. After Jeremy Peña singled in the seventh, Aledmys Díaz came to the plate in his first game back at Minute Maid Field since Aug. 12. His two-run bomb to left field off Joel Payamps put Houston ahead for good while Kyle Tucker's single added some insurance for a 5-2 final score.

When Montero closed out the game, the Astros magic numbers decreased to just one for a playoff spot and six to clinch the American League West; their number for the top AL seed sits at 12.

Justin Verlander will take the mound Friday at 7:10 p.m., opposed by the Athletics' Adrián Martinez.