This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- The Angels were able to salvage their road trip with a much-needed 2-1 win over the Astros on Sunday to avoid a dreaded four-game sweep. However, there are still some things they need to clean up going forward if they want to get deeper into contention leading up to the Trade Deadline. 

The Angels have a lot on the line, especially with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani headed for free agency. It’s still highly unlikely he’s traded unless the Angels fall completely out of the race, but they need to stay in it if they want to get reinforcements for a potential playoff run. 

With that in mind, here are a few issues they need to shore up to improve on their 31-30 record with 101 games left in the season: 

1. Lack of success with runners in scoring position

The Angels have hit just .248 with runners in scoring position this season, which ranks 19th out of the 30 MLB clubs. And they've hit just .232 with runners in scoring position and two outs, which ranks 18th. 

It was an issue against the Astros, when they batted only .167 (6-for-36) with runners in scoring position in their four-game series. They went 2-for-12 in those situations on both Thursday and Friday, went 2-for-10 on Saturday and 0-for-2 on Sunday. 

Angels manager Phil Nevin was asked what needs to change to get the club’s hitters back on track in key situations and he said it’s more of a mental thing than anything. 

“First off, a lot of people in our game don't think the RBI is a skill, it absolutely is,” Nevin said. “It’s a mentality. You have to want to hit in those situations. Winning teams don’t have those struggles in those situations. I’ve tried to shuffle the lineup to try to find better spots for guys. We’ve had our best guys in those spots in those situations and we just haven’t come through lately.” 

He also added that he doesn’t think there’s something wrong with the club’s approach. 

“Not at all,” Nevin said. “If you’re talking about the hitting coaches, they've been in places where we've led all of baseball [in] offense, and runners in scoring position. Those situations are talked about over and over.”

2. Not putting hitters away with two strikes

The Angels have been perfectly fine at getting batters to reach two strikes, but simply have had trouble finishing off hitters. Opposing batters are hitting .188 with two strikes against the Angels, which ranks as the sixth-worst mark in the Majors. It's even worse in 0-2 counts, as opposing hitters are batting .211 in those counts, which ranks as the worst mark in the Majors and much higher than the league average of .151. 

“We try not to be too fine,” Nevin said. “I’m not necessarily in the camp where you waste pitches, either. There’s a difference between wasting a pitch and throwing a fastball right down the middle, too. Be a little more fine with those things, and understand the situations we’re in. Those little things we’ve got to clean up, absolutely. Championship teams don’t do that.” 

3. Sloppy defense

The Angels were charged with only one error in their four-game series, but that didn’t tell the whole story. They made several defensive miscues that led to their first three losses. It was most glaring on Saturday, when the Angels made a slew of mistakes, including several in a costly five-run fourth inning. 

The Angels have committed the sixth-most errors in baseball, although advanced defensive statistics, such as defensive runs saved, have them more in the middle of the pack. Rookie shortstop Zach Neto has solidified the defense and his absence was felt on Saturday when he was out after being hit by a pitch on his left foot on Friday. And the return of Anthony Rendon on Tuesday or Wednesday should also help, but he was error-prone before going on the injured list with his groin strain.