Angels go young in victory over Indians

Reporting from Cleveland — Angels Manager Mike Scioscia says he hasn’t given up on the present. But that didn’t stop him from taking a gaze at the future Wednesday.

With his team on the brink of elimination from the American League playoff race, Scioscia gave 22-year-old catcher Hank Conger his first major league start, gave 24-year-old first baseman Mark Trumbo his second major league appearance and kept 23-year-old rookie Peter Bourjos in center field.

“These guys have such a huge upside,” Scioscia said. “And we’re excited to get them out there and see how they’re looking right now.”

The trio soon could account for a third of the Angels’ starting lineup. And that will be something to celebrate if the three continue playing the way they did in a 7-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Especially if they continue to get the kind of veteran help they got from Jered Weaver who, at 27, would still appear to have his best years ahead of him as well. The right-hander held the Indians to one hit over seven innings to snap a personal four-game losing streak while winning for the first time since Aug. 6.

Pitching before another intimate gathering of 10,183 at the baseball ghost town that is Progressive Field, Weaver (12-11) yielded only a fourth-inning single to Shin-Soo Choo, striking out seven without walking a batter.

And afterward he gave credit to Conger, who spent much of his afternoon studying video of Weaver and the Indians’ hitters to get a feel for both.

“He did his homework before the game,” Weaver said. “He kind of got an idea of what I wanted to do. And he brought it out there into the game. So it was nice. It was a great experience for both him and me.”

Conger said he also talked to teammates Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis and Bobby Wilson, all of whom have caught Weaver, to get a more complete scouting report. The extra work paid off, because Weaver rarely had to shake off Conger’s pitch selections.

“I just tried to be on the same page with him,” Conger said. “As a catcher, it’s not a good feeling when you don’t feel like you’re on the same page with the pitcher.”

Weaver said he knew the rookie was nervous before the game “when he told me he wasn’t.”

“Obviously I’ve been around a little bit and I’ve seen some guys make their debuts,” said Weaver, who gave his catcher the game ball afterward. “I still get nervous out here. So I knew he was nervous.”

Some of those butterflies disappeared, Conger said, when a looped a two-run, two-strike single over shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera’s head in the first inning for his first major league hit.

“It helped a lot just to get settled in, just to actually be out on the field before I even catch,” he said.

That hit earned him another souvenir baseball. Both mementos, Conger said, will go to his parents in Huntington Beach.

“They’re going to get the lineup card too if they can,” Conger said with a smile.

Trumbo, meanwhile, who led all minor leaguers with 36 home runs this summer, played the final two innings at first, making a good play to save Erick Aybar a throwing error while Bourjos added a fine running catch to open the ninth. So while the future might not be now for the Angels, it might not be too far away.

“They’re certainly guys that we’re excited about, about their future and where we’re going to be,” Scioscia said.

Who’s counting?

Joel Pineiro says he doesn’t expect to be on a pitch count when he comes off the disabled list to start Saturday in St. Petersburg against the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I hope not,” he said. “They haven’t told me anything.”

Pineiro has been sidelined nearly two months because of a strained ribcage muscle on his left side.

Man of steal

With a first-inning stolen base, Bobby Abreu reached 20 steals for the 12th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the majors.

kevin.baxter@latimes.com