Angels take advantage of mistakes to beat Mariners again

Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night in Seattle. Soriano allowed one run and three hits in 7 2/3 innings. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

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The Angels’ Mickey Moniak, left, and Zach Neto shake hands after scoring on Luis Rengifo’s two-run single during the fifth inning of their game against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night in Seattle. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

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SEATTLE — When the Seattle Angels and Mariners met Tuesday night, it was hard to tell which team is in the championship race and which is preparing to move players before next week’s trade deadline.

The Angels took advantage of the Mariners’ sloppy defense and anemic hitting to beat them 5-1, their fifth straight victory against the team that has now blown a 10-game division lead in a month.

The Angels (44-57) are simply trying to “learn how to win,” as manager Ron Washington often says, while gaining momentum for next season.

That starts with the continued solid work of right-hander José Soriano, a 25-year-old who is becoming more established with each outing.

Soriano allowed one run in 7⅔ innings, lowering his ERA to 3.51 after 95 innings and 16 starts.

“He was outstanding,” Washington said. “We needed everything he gave us. It would have been even better if he could have gotten past eight. See how greedy I am now?”

Soriano has beaten the Mariners in each of his last two starts, limiting Seattle to two runs in 13⅔ innings.

Soriano had no issues until the fifth inning, when he allowed a leadoff double, threw a wild pitch and walked a batter. With runners on the corners and no outs, Washington came to the mound to talk to Soriano. No one was even warming up in the bullpen, so it was clearly a motivational visit.

“He told me to keep my mind focused on one pitch at a time,” Soriano said through an interpreter.

Soriano forced a double play and then grounded out, escaping the jam with just one run scored. He then retired all six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh innings before allowing a one-out single in the eighth.

While Soriano certainly deserves credit for his work, it’s worth noting that the Mariners, even when playing well, are not a good offensive team. On Tuesday, they placed star center fielder Julio Rodriguez and leadoff hitter JP Crawford on the injured list.

The Angels’ offense also did nothing against Seattle’s Logan Gilbert until the fifth inning.

Logan O’Hoppe led off the inning with a single, the Angels’ first baserunner of the game. Nolan Schanuel then singled. Brandon Drury flied out to third and Josh Rojas bounced his throw across the diamond for an error.

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