Ron Washington has been frustrated with his young squad several times this season but he has remained patient with their development. Now, just a little over the halfway mark of the season, he is seeing their hard work and determination pay off.
On Friday night, the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-2 at Angel Stadium behind an eighth-inning three-run home run off Zach Neto’s bat. It was the team’s fifth straight victory, and they ended up winning six straight before losing to the Tigers in the series finale on Sunday.
“We knew at some point we’d start putting things together (at home) where we give the fans an opportunity to see what we’re capable of doing,” Washington said after his team started the season 5-17 at Angel Stadium. “Again, we’re still young. Again, we’re still learning.
“It’s nice to be doing this at home because it will attract more people to come out and recognize that we can play baseball.”
The Angels have now won won seven of their last nine games and are just 1.5 games behind the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers for third place in the AL West.
“Three ingredients you need to stay consistent: Pitch, play defense, and get timely hitting,” Washington said.
The Angels did all of that to close out the month of June. They’ll look to keep it going in July.
