HOUSTON -- Battered by bad news on Tuesday afternoon, and on the heels of an ugly loss to boot, the A's responded in a resounding way.
After learning that the DL stole their second starter in three days -- one of them, Sean Manaea, likely out for the season, and the other, Brett Anderson, prepping for tests on his forearm -- the resilient A's pressed on and picked up a critical 4-3 win in Houston to move within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Astros.
Nick Martini drove in the decisive run in the ninth, launching a ground-rule double against Astros closer Roberto Osuna after Ramon Laureano drew a one-out walk and Jonathan Lucroy sneaked a single through the right side.
Martini returned to the clubhouse several minutes after game's end to a raucous celebration -- "A lot of water," the soaked outfielder said. "Thirty gallons of it." -- while Manaea chimed in from the Bay via Twitter: "Let's go!" the pitcher wrote.

"It's tough, man. You feel bad for those guys," starter Edwin Jackson said. "They've been working their butts off all year to help us get to this point, and it's just one of those unfortunate situations when you have guys go down like that, but in the same breath, you have to have the next guy in line ready to step up and do the job."
The A's have gotten a lot of practice piecing together a makeshift rotation this year and must continue to do so without their ace. A stacked bullpen helps, and several members did their part to wash away memories of Monday's 11-4 series-opening loss.

Shawn Kelley, Fernando Rodney and Jeurys Familia combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings following Jackson's departure, and Blake Treinen proceeded to pitch a perfect ninth for his 33rd save, helping the A's go up a season-high 5 1/2 games on the Mariners for the second American League Wild Card spot.
They're tops in the Majors in one-run games, at 27-10.
"That's a big win for us," Jackson said. "It was no secret that we needed to come out today and get a win after last night's game. The perseverance here in this clubhouse speaks for itself. It's a team full of fighters. No one is going to give up, no one feels sorry for themselves, and we continue to come out and expect to win ballgames, and it shows on the field."
The Astros struck first with an unearned run in the second that was facilitated by a passed ball, but Matt Olson put the A's on top in the third with a three-run homer off Charlie Morton, Olson's career high-tying 24th of the season.

Jackson responded with a shutdown inning, and then another, before coming undone in the fifth. The veteran pitcher loaded the bases with two outs and misplaced a cutter to Alex Bregman, who promptly pounced on it for a game-tying double that sent Jackson out of the game.
Morton was also chased in the fifth, after the A's ran his pitch count up to 89. Jed Lowrie saw 23 of those pitches, drawing three of the four walks issued by the right-hander, and it wouldn't be the last time the A's took advantage of a free pass. Laureano's four-pitch walk in the ninth sparked Oakland's rally.
"Their back end is as good as anybody's, and they get the lead and they come in and are tough to hit, which is one way they win," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "They don't win if they don't score, and three of their four runs [reached on a] walk or hit by pitch, so they took advantage of their opportunities."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Martini was 2 for his last 20 -- and 24 hours removed from a bad misplay in left field -- when he stepped to the plate in the ninth inning and clobbered the first pitch he saw from Osuna, a 94-mph fastball that bounced over the right-center-field wall.
"He's come up with some big hits for us," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He's got a pretty good idea, at times, of when he needs to start the bat a little bit earlier, and some of their bullpen guys throw really hard. He got a good pitch to hit down in the zone.
"He's a pretty level-headed kid. You know, we've seen him go through some tough periods offensively and stay with it, and then come out with a good game. The last couple nights, not his best nights, but then comes up with a big hit."
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Running on Laureano is a dangerous task, but Astros leadoff man George Springer tried, anyway, after leading off the eighth with a single and attempting for third on Bregman's ensuing base hit to center. Laureano's perfectly placed throw nailed Springer, erasing a baserunner in a key moment for the A's, who watched Familia buckle down and strike out Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa to end the threat.
"The throw was maybe the biggest play of the game for us," Melvin said. "They had him in their organization, so they know he can throw. At the time, he's gotta make a perfect throw to get him, and it's probably worth the risk at that point."

"The guy's been unbelievable," Martini said. "What can you say? I'm surprised they ran on that play. I'm not surprised he threw him out."
HE SAID IT
"Anybody can be the hero any given day on this team, and at any given time you never know who is going to have the big hit. That's what makes this team so interesting. That's how we've been playing, and everyone is happy for everyone when we get those big hits, and we continue to feed off of it." -- Jackson

UP NEXT
Right-hander Trevor Cahill (5-3, 3.44 ERA) will look to overcome his road woes in Wednesday's 11:10 a.m. PT series finale at Minute Maid Park. The veteran pitcher, who will be opposed by Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel (10-10, 3.54), has a 6.92 ERA in eight road starts this season, compared to a 0.85 ERA in eight outings at home. This will be the final meeting of the regular season between these AL West foes.