Entering Thursday's finale as losers of their last four games, the Astros were entering desperation mode for a win to turn the tide. With the Royals already securing the series victory by taking the first three, Houston was able to salvage a game to at least grab some forward momentum and keep the A's at bay in the AL West standings.

Final Score (10 innings): Astros 6, Royals 3

Astros' Record: 71-50, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Ryan Pressly (5-1)

Losing Pitcher: Wade Davis (0-3)

Houston ends up in an early hole as Garcia gives up three runs over five

Things looked bleak for the Astros early, with the Royals putting up a 3-0 lead over the first three frames against Luis Garcia. They scored in the bottom of the first, getting a leadoff single, then later in the inning, a sac fly to go ahead 1-0. They tacked on two more in the bottom of the third, working a leadoff walk to set up a two-out, two-run homer to make it a three-run lead.

After Houston got one of the runs back on an RBI groundout by Chas McCormick to make it 3-1, Luis Garcia rebounded and held the Royals to their two-run lead. He tossed scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, finishing his day a bit early as he continued to have his inning and pitch count limited. His final line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 70 P.

McCormick ties it up, game heads to extras

However, Garcia's offense would get him off the hook, putting together a successful top of the sixth. They knocked three-straight one-out hits, starting with a single by Carlos Correa, followed by an RBI double by Aledmyz Diaz and game-tying RBI double by Chas McCormick, his second RBI of the day.

The 3-3 score held through the rest of the scheduled innings, with Phil Maton first out of the Astros bullpen and giving his team two scoreless innings, allowing just a walk over that span. Ryne Stanek was the next reliever out, and he erased a one-out single to keep the score tied to the ninth, where after a scoreless top half by Houston's offense, Ryan Pressly got out of a two-runner jam to force extras.

Astros snap their losing streak

The Astros took advantage of the free runner in the top of the tenth, loading the bases on a single and a walk before Aledmys Diaz broke the tie with a single to give Houston their first lead of the day, 4-3. McCormick was next up and would again provide a big at-bat, working a walk to double the lead to two runs; before later, a pinch-hitting Taylor Jones would add one more on a sac fly, making it 6-3 going to the home half.

Cristian Javier came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the tenth, and he retired the side 1-2-3 to finish off the win for the Astros. Houston salvages a game in the series, and with the A's winning earlier in the afternoon, keeps the Astros' lead in the AL West at 2.5 games heading into the weekend.

Up Next: The Astros will return home to start a homestand on Friday night, beginning with a three-game series against the Mariners. In the opener at 7:10 PM Central, Lance McCullers Jr. (9-4, 3.22 ERA) will be on the mound for Houston, while Yusei Kikuchi (7-6, 3.82 ERA) is expected to start for Seattle.