HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros were in desperate need of a reminder of how potent their offense can be, of how frequently the depth of their lineup paves the way for late-inning rallies and come-from-behind victories.

Designated hitter Evan Gattis jarred their collective memory by belting a go-ahead, three-run home run with two outs in the seventh inning as the Astros erased a three-run deficit and beat the Oakland Athletics 10-6 on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros (78-71) snapped a five-game skid and maintained their 1 1/2-game lead for the second wild card in the American League. They blew a 3-0 lead for a second consecutive game before mounting their rally from the bottom of the order with two runs in the sixth inning.

"That's been the way that our club has performed quite a bit this year," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "Sometimes we forget how explosive we've been when we get in some of these lulls where some losses have piled up. It was a real breakout performance for us tonight."

Gattis pushed the Astros over the hump with his 25th home run, an opposite-field blast to right field off right-hander Fernando Rodriguez (4-2). Gattis followed Colby Rasmus' two-out walk by launching a cut fastball, scoring Rasmus and shortstop Carlos Correa.

Astros first baseman Luis Valbuena delivered an RBI single in the sixth and rookie Matt Duffy followed with his first career hit two batters later, a double to left-center that scored Valbuena and cut the deficit to 6-5. Catcher Max Stassi added his first career homer in the eighth inning as the Astros sent six batters to the plate and rediscovered momentum.

"Glad to be in the spot and glad to put a good swing on the ball," said Gattis, who finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. "I made a baserunning error earlier, and I'm glad I could make up for it."

Right-hander Chad Qualls (3-4) earned the win for the Astros. Oakland (64-85) used five relievers after right-hander Sonny Gray struggled through 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks.

What was a laborious, 29-pitch first inning for Astros left-hander Scott Kazmir appeared inconsequential when Houston sent seven batters to the plate and scored three times off Gray in the bottom of the frame.

Astros third baseman Jed Lowrie delivered an RBI double and later scored following a throwing error by catcher Carson Blair. But Gattis inexplicably attempted to tag from first base on a fly ball to right, and his baserunning gaffe represented a reprieve for the scuffling Gray.

"That wasn't a way to start a game, but we fought back and we were able to come back, and that was big," Gray said. "I wasn't able to hold us there."

Kazmir, meanwhile, continued to struggle and eventually surrendered the lead. Oakland left fielder Jake Smolinski opened the second inning with his sixth home run and Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien added a leadoff homer in the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Kazmir appeared to recover via successive outs, but he walked No. 9 hitter Craig Gentry after getting ahead 0-2 in the count and surrendered consecutive singles as Mark Canha plated Gentry and chased Kazmir.

Oakland added three additional two-out runs in the fifth off right-hander Vince Velasquez, extending the lead to 6-3 when Smolinski, Blair and Gentry doubled, singled and tripled in succession.

"The offense wasn't the problem tonight," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said. "We swung the bat well, added on and got ourselves a nice lead. We just couldn't hold them down at the end. We've had trouble doing that this year."

NOTES: Astros C Jason Castro made his third consecutive start since his activation from the 15-day disabled list (right quad strain), but he is set to get the day off in the series finale. With the Astros facing a scheduled day off Thursday, Castro could start the entire series against the Los Angeles Angels. ... Athletics C Josh Phegley suffered a concussion after being hit in the back of the head by a bat during batting practice Friday. Phegley is required to pass the concussion protocol before being allowed to return to action. ... With Astros RHP Pat Neshek surrendering the lead in the eighth inning Friday night, the Houston bullpen continued its nightmarish month. Astros relievers were 1-7 with a 6.60 ERA and two saves in September entering Saturday, a departure from a unit that had provided stability over the first five months.