Angels are poised for a strong second half Torii Hunter has peeked at the schedule coming out of the All-Star break, a grueling 23-game stretch with 13 games - 10 of them on the road - against the division-leading New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, and seven against Detroit and Tampa Bay, clubs with winning records. The Angels right fielder isn't fazed one bit. "When we're playing the way we've been playing, it doesn't matter," Hunter said. We can play with anybody. The back half of the rotation is a mess, their starting catcher is entering his third month on the disabled list, and there are still some soft spots in the lineup, but the Angels, thanks to a fresh-faced 20-year-old who wasn't even with them when the season opened, have their swagger back. After their dreadful 6-14 start, the Angels, who open the second half Friday night in Yankee Stadium, are a major league-best 42-24 since April 28, the day heralded rookie Mike Trout joined them. The speedy outfielder brought a Rickey Henderson-like presence to the leadoff spot, his league-leading .341 batting average and 26 stolen bases, his team-leading .397 on-base percentage, 57 runs and 88 hits, and his 12 home runs and 40 runs batted in jump-starting a lifeless offense. The Angels (48-38) are still four games behind the Rangers (52-34), but they're in the thick of the playoff race. "The overall feeling in here has changed," said outfielder Mark Trumbo, who leads the team with 22 home runs and 57 RBIs. The first month not included, I think we're one of the best teams in baseball. Previewing the season's second half: Keys to the offense It doesn't seem fair to pin a team's World Series hopes on someone who turns 21 on Aug. 7, but Trout has been the driving force behind the team's surge, and he needs to continue being that spark plug. Manager Mike Scioscia thinks Trout is up to the task. "Mike has the talent to put up the numbers he's putting up - this isn't a fluke," Scioscia said. I'm sure there are going to be some rough patches, but ... he's not playing over his head. He's playing to his potential at a very, very young age, and that's rare. Keys to the defense This is an area of strength - the Angels have premier defenders in center field (Trout and Peter Bourjos), right field (Hunter), first base (Albert Pujols) and shortstop (Erick Aybar). It would help if catcher Chris Iannetta returned soon from wrist and forearm injuries that have sidelined him since May 9. Backups Bobby Wilson and John Hester have thrown out only 12 of 64 base-stealers (19%). What must improve Jerry Dipoto has no desire to trade Bourjos, but unless Dan Haren rebounds from a lower-back injury and Ervin Santana pitches more effectively, the general manager may have little choice but to package the highly regarded reserve outfielder in a deal for a front-line starting pitcher. Haren, who is 6-8 with a 4.86 earned-run average and has allowed opponents to hit .297 with 16 homers, can come off the disabled list on July 19. Santana is 4-9 with a 5.75 ERA and 20 homers given up and has baffled the Angels with his inconsistency. Who could help