DETROIT -- There are still more than two months left in the season, but the Angels know this next week is crucial for more than one reason.

Now’s the time to make a push. To get to where the Halos want to go, they’ve not only got to seize every opportunity to succeed but also have short memories when they don’t.

Mickey Moniak’s performance was a textbook example of both.

Moniak, who was flying high after extending his career-high hit streak and adding a pair of dazzling catches in center field, committed a crucial miscue in the bottom of the ninth that sent game to extras before he drove in the eventual game-winning run with a double in the top of the 10th in Los Angeles’ 7-6 win on Tuesday night in the series opener at Comerica Park.

It was, Moniak admitted, a wild ride.

“I think I catch that ball nine times out of 10,” Moniak said of Spencer Torkelson’s ninth-inning knock that twisted him around on the warning track and one-hopped the wall for a game-tying two-run double. “… I apologized to [closer Carlos Estévez]. That one's on me. Just glad we pulled it out.”

Moniak was not just a spectator during his team’s extra-inning comeback, he was the catalyst, tapping a double up the first-base line just past a diving Torkelson for redemption, scoring automatic runner Mike Moustakas with the go-ahead run.

Earlier on, Moniak’s single in the top of the fourth extended his hit streak to 15 games, the longest active hit streak in MLB and a tie with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani for the longest hit streak by an Angel this season.

Twice, Moniak's defense kept Detroit from inflicting major damage, the most impressive catch coming on a hard-hit Kerry Carpenter liner in the bottom of the fourth inning that took the Halos’ outfielder into the padded wall in straightaway center.

As it was, Moniak's ninth-inning miscue stung, but only for a moment. That’s really all the time he had to collect himself before grabbing a bat and stepping to the plate to make things right, anyway.

“It was a roller coaster,” he said. “Just glad to be here talking about a win.”

Backing Moniak with his first save of the season was Aaron Loup, who is another testament to overcoming adversity. Loup bounced back from an ERA north of 7.00 and a trip to the IL in May to string together a 2.16 ERA in June and a scoreless outing in seven of his eight appearances in July.

On Tuesday, Loup pitched a flawless 10th inning for the second time in eight days to earn his first save of the season.

“I love these situations,” he said. “I feel like it brings out the best in me. To be in those situations -- a little added extra pressure, kind of like your back [is] pinned against the wall -- I always felt like I pitch better in those situations.

“It's fun. It's the moment you live for when you're out there, and to be able to go out there and do your job and get the win is nice.”

With just one week to go before the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline, every game counts for the Angels as they work to elbow their way into another moment to live for: playoff contention.

Tuesday’s win snapped a six-game road losing streak at just the right time and allowed Los Angeles to move to within 3 1/2 games of an AL Wild Card spot.

There’s an opportunity for Los Angeles to gain some real ground, both in Detroit and on the next leg of its three-city road trip, when it heads to Toronto for three games.

Manager Phil Nevin said that sentiment is not lost on his team.

“You can feel it in the dugout,” he said. “I don't think there was ever a time where we thought the game got away from us.”

The short-term reward for the Angels’ success this week is, of course, a chance to keep Ohtani in Anaheim for the rest of the year. The longer-term implications include a chance to play meaningful baseball come October … with Ohtani on their roster.

Seems like a win-win, so long as they keep finding ways to win.