ANAHEIM -- It was the kind of start that both the Angels and rookie right-hander Griffin Canning desperately needed.

Canning had struggled this month with a 12.34 ERA in four outings, including being pressed into emergency relief duty in extra innings on Thursday, allowing five runs over two innings in a 16-inning loss to the Orioles. The Angels opted to keep Canning on regular rest after his relief outing and it paid off, as he showed improved velocity en route to throwing six scoreless frames in a 6-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. It helped the Angels remain 5 1/2 games back of the A’s for the second American League Wild Card spot heading into Wednesday’s Trade Deadline.

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“I didn’t put any bigger expectations on it,” Canning said. “It was just kind of nice to see the work that I’ve been doing each week come to fruition and kind of see it happen. It’s not gonna always be like that, but just something I can build off, for sure.”

Canning scattered four hits and a walk while striking out seven to pick up his first win since June 27. He also became the first Angels pitcher to throw more than five innings since Matt Harvey went six frames against the Astros on July 18. Canning was helped by throwing first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 24 batters he faced.

"I was just really aggressive," Canning said. "Not worrying about contact, especially early in the count just kind of letting my stuff play. I was pretty good on first-pitch strikes. That was kind of an emphasis we put on our staff as a whole, just getting ahead of guys and putting guys away, not issuing free passes."

It helped protect a bullpen that’s been overworked, especially since Thursday’s marathon loss to Baltimore. Only Taylor Cole, who allowed one run over two innings, and closer Hansel Robles, who hadn’t pitched since Thursday, saw action in relief for the Angels.

Canning, coming off throwing 42 pitches in relief, threw 93 pitches against the Tigers, getting 12 swings-and-misses. His four-seam fastball was crisper, averaging 94.5 mph and topping out at 96.2 mph. His season average on his four-seamer coming in was 93.8, per Statcast.

"He looked really good tonight,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “The velocity out of the gate was 95, touched 96 a few times, which we haven't seen too much from him. All the offspeed seemed to work, for the most part. He gave up a little hard contact in the fifth, but he settled down and got through the sixth."

Canning, who lowered his ERA to 4.76 in 16 outings this season, mostly stayed out of trouble, pitching around a leadoff double in the fourth and escaping a jam in the fifth with two runners on and two out by getting Niko Goodrum to fly out to center.

“Those are the kind of situations where I’ve gotten myself in trouble,” Canning said. “Where I'm trying to make perfect pitches when I don’t necessarily need to. Just staying on the attack, really.”

Canning’s bounce-back performance didn’t surprise fellow rookie first baseman Matt Thaiss, who smacked a two-run homer in the second and added an RBI single in the seventh. Thaiss played in the Minors with Canning last year and this season and has come to expect solid outings.

"That's all I know Griffin as,” Thaiss said. “I've seen him for two years now. I first saw him at Double-A and then Triple-A. Got to see him a couple starts here. That's the Griffin I know. He's an unbelievable pitcher and he showed it tonight."