MATT SHOEMAKER pitched five strong innings in the Angels’ 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday (Flickr/Keith Allison).

By Pete Zarustica

Six in a row would be nice. That’s the kind of closing kick that would allow the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to finish 81-81 and avoid a third-straight losing season.

Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers got the Halos a third of the way toward heir goal.  Matt Shoemaker had an impressive five innings and a four-run sixth inning was enough to propel the team to its second straight victory in Anaheim.

“The stuff [Shoemaker] had in the first couple innings was probably the best we’ve seen in a long time,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “I think he got a little second wind to finish the fifth. He got some big outs, but he got a little tired, and that’s understandable. He’s still working through what you would consider Spring Training, so he was kind of hitting a wall a little bit, but that’s five strong innings, for sure.”

Shoemaker gave up four hits and one run in his stint. He struck out seven batters and walked none.

After falling behind 1-0 on Joey Gallo’s third inning homer, the Angels took the lead on a combination of hits, walks and errors in the crucial sixth. The Angels only got five hits in the game, but were able to group them well, compared to the Rangers who batted 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Andrew Heaney (9-10) will start for the Angels on Wednesday. Yohander Mendez (2-2) will get the duty for the Rangers. The game is set to start at 7:07 p.m.