Mariners, A's enter series on an upward trajectory

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The two teams currently battling for the second American League wild-card playoff spot go head-to-head in a three-game series that begins Monday night with a matchup of the teams' top winners.

Seattle left-hander Marco Gonzales (12-7, 3.79 ERA) and Oakland left-hander Sean Manaea (10-8, 3.50) kick off a series that begins with the A's (70-48) 1 1/2 games up on the Mariners (69-50).

Seattle is coming off a four-game sweep of the AL West-leading Houston Astros (73-46), which brought the second-place A's and third-place Mariners closer to the top.

Mariners manager Scott Servais credited a wakeup call the club received when losing two of three to the last-place Texas Rangers as…