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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Daniel Mengden threw the pitch exactly where he wanted. Where it wound up -- not what the Oakland rookie wanted.Evan Gattis homered twice, catcher Jason Castro threw out a runner to end the game and the contending Houston Astros beat the Athletics 6-5 Wednesday to finish off a sweep.The Astros began the day two games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild-card spot.Gattis reached 30 homers. He hit a two-run drive in the sixth off Mengden (2-8) for a 4-1 lead and connected again in the eighth.Gattis tagged a 1-2 curveball at his knees on the outer part of the plate, highlighting a three-run inning that gave the Astros a 4-1 lead.I thought I made a pretty good pitch but he made a pretty good swing and it went out, Mengden said.Gattis first homer on the day followed Carlos Correas run-scoring double.I think the one bad pitch (Mengden) made was the two-strike pitch to Correa, As manager Bob Melvin said. The pitch to Gattis was a good pitch, it was almost on the ground. You have to give Gattis credit there.Oakland scored on second baseman Jose Altuves fielding error with two outs in the ninth inning to pull within 6-5. Castro then threw out pinch runner Arismendy Alcantara trying to steal second, and the call was upheld on a replay review.That replay on the stolen base was a tough one, Melvin said. (Astros reliever Luke Gregerson) is a pretty easy guy to steal on for the most part. I dont think (Arismendy) got his best jump on that one but thats what hes in there for and Castro made a good throw.There are a lot of plays in this game that were just a couple of inches one way or the other and if we get them were probably talking about a different game right now, but we didnt and they won the game, he said.Collin McHugh (12-10) won his fifth straight decision, allowing two runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Five relievers combined to record the final 10 outs, with Gregerson retiring three batters for his 15th save.Carlos Correa had two hits, including an RBI double, and Altuve singled twice and scored a run. Gattis homered for third time in three days to complete the three-game sweep.The Astros scored their first run without a hit in the fifth inning and added three more in the sixth.Altuve, the ALs leading hitter, had a one-out single and scored the go-ahead run on Correas double. Gattis followed with a home run.Gattis homer in the eighth was a towering shot that hit off the fa?ade underneath the luxury suites in center field.Danny Valencia singled and scored twice for the As. Oakland has lost the first three games on its final homestand after an impressive 6-1 road trip.MENGDEN WEARS DOWNMengden needed only 26 pitches to get through the first three innings and didnt give up a hit until Yuli Gurriels one-out single in the fourth before things quickly unraveled. He allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: OF Colby Rasmus missed his third straight game because of a lot of different physical issues, according to manager A.J. Hinch. Rasmus missed 23 games earlier this season after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst in his right ear. ... Preston Tucker was scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and the team is confident the outfielder will be healed in time for spring training.Athletics: OF Khris Davis missed his second straight game after being a late scratch Tuesday because of an illness. ... Reliever J.B. Wendelken will seek a second opinion on his right elbow but Melvin indicated its likely Wendelken will undergo Tommy John surgery.UP NEXTAthletics: Kendall Graveman (10-10) starts against Texas on Friday at the Coliseum. The right-hander is winless since Aug. 24.Fake Yeezy 700 Store . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Cheapest Yeezy 350 Store .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. http://www.cheapestairmaxstore.com/ . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Stan Smith Store . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Air Max 270 Store . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen.If its up to Shaquille ONeal, his son will play college basketball for LSUs Johnny Jones, Michigan States Tom Izzo or Kentuckys John Calipari.During his weekly podcast, ONeal said he wants Shareef ONeal (ranked 51st in the 2018 class per RecruitingNation) to play for coaches who can help him reach the NBA and develop more discipline.He said the three schools and coaches he favors would all prove beneficial to the career of the 6-foot-8, 205-pound junior who currently has an offer from USC.I would like my son to play for a coach thats going to teach him next-level stuff, ONeal said on Mondays edition of The Big Podcast With Shaq. I have three in mind: Johnny Jones, LSU, because I know him personally, Calipari and the coach from Michigan State ... Tom Izzo. Ive told my son many times, its your decision and it is [his] decision. ... I need somebody thats gonna curse him out, treat him like a man. Those three guys are the ones I would like him to play for.Shareef ONeal recently told 247Sports.com,, however, that his father prefers Kentucky over the other schools.ddddddddddddy dad actually wants me to lean towards Kentucky, Shareef ONeal told the site. He has a good friendship with the coach there. I know a lot about that school because a lot of kids dream about going there. I like their style of play.ONeal didnt deny his sons claim.Ive said that, he said on the podcast. The reason why Kentucky [was] because the potential my father saw in me and him knowing that I was gonna go to the next level, I definitely see it in Shareef. The reason why he trusted me with Dale Brown was because he knew Dale Brown could get me to that next level. Not playing-wise or coaching-wise ... discipline-wise.ONeal also said he refuses to steer his son to any school but joked about the perks of attending his alma mater.LSU pays very well, he said. Im just playing. Im just playing. ' ' '