Mike Trout scratched from lineup for Angels, who seek a better second half of season

The Angels have just Saturday night’s game against the Dodgers left before the All-Star break, which will afford them five days to rest and recharge for the season’s second half.

Each player has his own plan for navigating the time off — either going home to be with family or staying in Southern California to continue recovering from injury — but all will continue to get their work in to stay ready for the remaining 70 games.

All-Star center fielder Mike Trout originally was in the Angels’ starting lineup for Saturday’s game but was scratched before first pitch because of upper-back spasms — the fourth consecutive game he has missed since he exited Tuesday’s game against Houston because of the injury.

Trout is still expected to play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium even though he has only six RBIs and one multi-hit game since June 28.

The Angels have not given up on this season, but their remaining games will have to include plenty of wins if they hope to get back into the playoff picture.

“I do believe these guys still think we can make a run,” interim manager Phil Nevin said before Saturday’s Freeway Series finale at Angel Stadium. “I mean, there’s teams that have made runs lately and are right in the thick of it. There’s still time for that.

“That’s the discussions they have amongst themselves, when we have our get-togethers, whether it’s an advanced meeting or a hitters meeting or pitchers meeting. They’re the ones that talk about that, and I echo those thoughts and I will again before they leave tonight. We got a nice long break, and I think it’d be good for everybody.”

Waiting for the Angels on the other side of the All-Star break will be the 56-37 Atlanta Braves, who are in second place in the National League East and hold the first NL wild-card spot. Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to be the Angels’ starting pitcher in the opener of that three-game series Friday in Atlanta.

Before Saturday’s game, the Angels were 39-52, 20½ games out of first place in the American League West and 9½ games behind in the wild-card chase. In their last 10 games before Saturday, they were 2-8, with those two victories coming largely thanks to stellar pitching by Ohtani.

But the Angels’ offense has been inconsistent, and the injuries that have piled up have further hurt the team.

Nevin, since he was promoted to interim manager after Joe Maddon was fired in early June, has tried to spark the offense, adjusting his leadoff batters a few times. On Saturday, Nevin moved Luis Rengifo, the team’s most consistent hitter over the last month, to the leadoff spot.

Time will tell whether the second half will result in something positive for the Angels.

For now, Nevin’s advice for his team as it heads into the break was to “go home and relax, rinse, come back ready to go.”