With Trout out, Scioscia works with lineup

ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout once again missed a game because of a tight right hamstring, and Mike Scioscia was once again forced to piece a lineup together.

J.B. Shuck, Erick Aybar, Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo have respectively made up the first four spots of the Angels' batting order in each of the two games Trout has missed. After that is when the Angels' depth really gets tested, with Howie Kendrick still working his way back from a sprained left knee and Albert Pujols shut down for the season with a partial tear of his left plantar fascia.

In Monday's series opener against the Indians, Hank Conger and his .373 career slugging percentage moved up to the No. 5 spot for the first time in his career.

On Tuesday, it was Kole Calhoun and his .330 career slugging percentage debuting there.

"There's some guys that we've had to flip around and put into some spots a little higher than they would be," Scioscia said, one night after a 5-2 loss that saw the Angels get three at-bats with runners in scoring position. "But we have a game tonight, and we have to find a way to score runs."

Scioscia won't start Trout until he proves he can run the bases, and the 22-year-old outfielder wasn't able to do that on Tuesday. Trout, who also missed the June 30 game with a sore right hamstring, said he continues to make progress since exiting Sunday's game in the sixth inning and is hopeful of returning as soon as Wednesday.

Trout sports a .333/.430/.574 slash line and will continue to hold a 40-game on-base streak -- the second-longest in Angels history -- unless he makes a plate appearance on Tuesday.

"It feels a lot better than it was," Trout said. "But it's one of those things that, for me, I don't want to be out there thinking about it. So I'll just give it one more day and see how it goes."