LA Angels keep finding new ways to win as they pursue a playoff push

As the Angels continue their push for relevancy in the American League Wild Card race, they are slowly learning how to win games that they maybe would not have in the earlier months of the season. So far this year, the Angels have won games really in one way: offensive outbursts that opponents could not keep up.

Their eight game winning streak was largely because they turned into one of the best offenses in baseball (with some gutsy pitching performances along the way). The two weeks of mass losing that followed were due to the offense regressing, unable to score enough to back up mediocre pitching. They have lived and died by the home run for the most part, but these past two nights have been a revelation for them as their stellar young core continues to learn how to win games in the big leagues.

On Monday night, the Angels were getting another fantastic showing from Yusei Kikuchi. The offense was dormant through the first two innings when an unlikely hero came to bat in the third. Scott Kingery - who is hitting .125 this season - got on base with a bunt single, advancing to second on an error.

Small ball hadn't been the Angels' game, but he saw a chance and succeeded. Kevin Newman reached via error, putting two runners on for the top of the order. Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, and Mike Trout hit three straight singles, giving the Angels a 3-0 lead with Kikuchi dominating.

Jo Adell added another run with a home run in the fourth inning, as well as a two-run single in the eighth. The Angels started their series against the Athletics with small ball, which Ron Washington must have appreciated given his team's dependency on home runs.

On Tuesday, the Angels got an even more dominant pitching performance. Jose Soriano bounced back from his poor start in Boston to have the best outing of his young career. He pitched seven full innings, striking out 12 Athletics' batters and allowing only two hits and two walks. One run scored in the sixth, and for awhile it looked like that would be enough for the A's as the Angels had yet to have a runner in scoring position.

That changed immediately with a double by Zach Neto in the bottom of the sixth, but they were still unable to muster a run to save Soriano's exceptional outing. A big fly courtesy of Travis d'Arnaud tied things up, and Schanuel walked it off on the A's in the 10th, getting the last laugh after his home run Monday night turned into an all time robbery.

So in two nights, the Angels won games in ways that they could not in May and April. Whether it was stringing together singles or staying locked in despite an overall poor offensive night and injuries running rampant, they continued winning against their division rival. If they want to change the narrative surrounding baseball in Anaheim, every game matters and this team needs to continue to simply get the job done.