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.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Angels head into a tough four-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field after losing two out of three in Boston. Then, they will go to Cincinnati for a three-game set this weekend.

It’s another East Coast road trip for the Angels, who have already played in Baltimore and Miami early this season. The club has shown some flashes of its potential and some resiliency early on, but there has also been some inconsistency, which explains a 7-8 record.

Manager Ron Washington has stressed that he wants his club to excel in every facet of the game. So here’s a look at how the Halos have been faring with their offense, pitching and defense in the early going.

The offense

The Angels rank 20th in runs scored with 67 in 15 games, giving them an average of 4.47 runs per game. They’re averaging slightly fewer runs per game than last season, as they’ve seen a bit of an expected dip in their power numbers. But the club is running more often under Washington, tied for 10th in the Majors with 11 stolen bases.

Superstar Mike Trout is off to a hot start after a few injury-plagued seasons, while Taylor Ward and Logan O’Hoppe have also been carrying the offense. Anthony Rendon and Brandon Drury are heating up, but the Angels need more from Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto, Mickey Moniak and Aaron Hicks.

It’s still early, but the Halos need to see more consistency up and down the lineup. They still are striking out too much and their walk rate remains in the middle of the pack.

They are also hitting just .218 with runners in scoring position this year, which is the third-worst mark in the Majors. Even Trout admitted to reporters on Sunday that he needs to come up with big hits more in those situations after he couldn’t deliver in the ninth inning with two on. It’s hard to blame Trout, though, especially with his blistering start to the year, but the Angels need to continue to get better situationally.

The pitching

The Angels have a 4.88 ERA, which ranks as the ninth-worst mark in the Majors. The starters and the relievers have both been culpable, as the rotation has posted a 4.76 ERA (23rd) and the bullpen has a collective 5.02 ERA (22nd).

The pitching coaches have stressed getting ahead of hitters, but the Angels haven’t been able to put that into action just yet. They’ve thrown a first-pitch strike 59.1 percent of the time, which is the sixth-worst mark in the Majors.

The good news is that lefty Reid Detmers is starting fulfill his immense potential and fellow left-hander Tyler Anderson is off to a strong start after a down year last season. But right-hander Griffin Canning has struggled mightily so far (9.88 ERA in 13 2/3 innings) and lefty Patrick Sandoval has been inconsistent (6.57 ERA in 12 1/3 innings).

Right-hander Chase Silseth was fortunate to avoid major injury with his right elbow inflammation and could return in May, but he had trouble with his velocity before going on the injured list. Righty José Soriano has elite stuff, but he still needs to learn how to harness it, especially as a starting pitcher.

The bullpen has struggled outside of closer Carlos Estévez and setup relievers Matt Moore and Adam Cimber. José Suarez has an 8.74 ERA in five outings of long relief, while José Cisnero has a 9.95 ERA in eight outings and Luis García has a 9.00 ERA in six outings. Angels relievers are going to need to find a bridge to get to Moore, Cimber and Estévez, and so far it’s been a struggle.

It also doesn’t help that right-hander Robert Stephenson, who was signed to a three-year deal worth $33 million this offseason, suffered a setback with his right shoulder injury during a rehab outing with Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday. He’s set to undergo imaging on his shoulder.

The defense

Washington is considered a defensive guru, and so far it has shown up in the early returns, according to the advanced metrics. The Angels are tied for fifth in Outs Above Average. Among traditional metrics, they are tied for third with a .990 fielding percentage.

Last year, the Angels were 27th in OAA and their .983 fielding percentage tied for 23rd in the Majors. Washington has praised infield coach Ryan Goins and has credited the players for buying into his defensive techniques and applying it.