



The Angels, as expected, released struggling left-hander Scott Kazmir, who couldn’t regain his form in the minor leagues, and they will eat the remainder of his $14.5-million contract for this season.

Kazmir, traded to the Angels from Tampa Bay in August 2009, made no progress at triple-A Salt Lake City, where he had a 17.02 earned-run average in five starts, giving up 29 earned runs, 22 hits and 20 walks and striking out 14 in 15 1/3 innings.

Kazmir spent a month at the team's extended spring-training camp in Arizona hoping to find a consistent delivery and release point, but he actually regressed during his minor league rehabilitation stint, losing command of all of his pitches and the velocity of his fastball.

In his fourth start, Kazmir threw three pitches behind the backs of right-handed batters.

The Kazmir trade will go down as one of the worst in franchise history, a move that cost the Angels $22.5 million in salary and brought little return. Kazmir went 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA in 28 starts in 2010, when he made $8 million, and he made only one start for the Angels this season, giving up five runs and five hits, walking two and hitting two batters, in 1 2/3 innings against Kansas City on April 3.

For more on the Kazmir release, go to www.latimes.com/sports

--Mike DiGiovanna in Seattle

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More later at latimes.com/sports

Photo: Scott Kazmir. Credit: Los Angeles Times.