SEATTLE -- Another narrow escape behind him, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais walked into the postgame interview session and let out an audible sigh of relief Thursday night.

His Mariners survived a shaky top of the ninth inning to beat the Oakland A's 3-2 and stay alive -- barely -- in the American League wild-card race.

"We live another day," Servais said after closer Edwin Diaz gave up one run in the ninth before stranding runners on first and third with back-to-back strikeouts to finish off the win. "A really gutsy performance from all our guys."

Mike Zunino broke a 1-1 tie with a leadoff homer in the seventh inning, helping the Mariners (85-74) stay within two games of co-leaders Toronto and Baltimore in the AL wild-card standings. The Orioles (87-72) beat the Blue Jays (87-72) earlier Thursday.

"We know we have to win, that's the thing," said Zunino, who watched the end of the Orioles' 4-0 victory from the home clubhouse before taking the field Thursday night. "We only have three left, and if we don't win our games now, nothing else matters."

The Detroit Tigers (85-73) are 1 1/2 games out in the wild-card race after their scheduled game against the Cleveland Indians was rained out.

Toronto, Baltimore and Seattle have three games remaining. Detroit has four to go, including a potential makeup game.

"The way we look at it, we'll play (Friday's) game, try to win it and pray for a little help," Servais said Thursday night.

Zunino took Oakland reliever Liam Hendriks (0-4) deep in the seventh, and Ketel Marte added an RBI single in the eighth to help Seattle post its fourth win in five games.

Steve Cishek (4-6) earned the win for the Mariners with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

Diaz wriggled out of a jam in the ninth to earn his 18th save of the season. Diaz gave up three hits, including an RBI single to pinch hitter Bruce Maxwell, before striking out Yonder Alonso and Max Muncy to strand runners on first and third.

"It's tough," Diaz said of his outing. "I need to control my emotions and give the team a chance to make the playoffs. We're so close."

Zunino went 2-for-3 with his 12th home run of the season, while Seattle teammates Marte, Norichika Aoki, Adam Lind and Leonys Martin had two hits apiece. Martin added an RBI on a fourth-inning single.

Oakland rookie Chad Pinder hit his first career home run. His leadoff shot in the sixth inning tied the score 1-1. Danny Valencia had two hits for the A's (67-92).

Seattle starter Ariel Miranda allowed one run, on a solo homer by Pinder, on four hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Oakland starter Kendall Graveman, who limped through a foot injury he sustained in the fourth inning, allowed just one run on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.

"I thought he pitched well," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "It's a good year for him."

Melvin added that Graveman's injury didn't appear to be serious.

"He had a toenail that was digging into another toe," Melvin said. "He was a little off-balance there toward the end of the (sixth) inning."

Seattle scored the first run of the game on a Martin two-out hit in the fourth. Martin's single, the third in a row by the Mariners, scored Kyle Seager from second base for a 1-0 lead but eventually resulted in the third out when Martin was caught in a rundown that led to Lind being thrown out at home plate.

NOTES: Seattle DH Nelson Cruz, playing through a sore wrist, went 1-for-3 with a walk. ... The Mariners improved to 11-5 record against Oakland this year. The A's are 4-3 at Safeco Field, but they won just one of nine games played in Oakland. ... The A's, having been swept in a series against the Angels earlier this week, are guaranteed of finishing in the AL West cellar for the second year in a row. The only other time Oakland finished in last place in back-to-back seasons was in 1997 and 1998.