"His shoddy 2010 season is as much a sore subject for Scott Kazmir today as it was for those who watched it last summer, when Angels management and fans wondered whether the left-hander would ever right himself.

Kazmir didn't even look at tape over the winter to determine what went wrong because the whole season was a mess, from hamstring and shoulder injuries to mechanical problems to a loss of velocity on his fastball and the disappearance of his slider.

"I pretty much did away with last year," Kazmir said this week in Angels camp. "I don't want to talk about my struggles, my slider. I just want to go out there and compete and win games."

Two years removed from a superb 2008 season in which he helped Tampa Bay reach the World Series, Kazmir was 9-15 with a career-worst 5.94 earned-run average in 28 starts. He struck out a career-low 93 and gave up a career-high 25 home runs.

Kazmir had been considered one of the best young left-handers in the game; he was 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA and an American League-leading 239 strikeouts in 2007 and earned a three-year, $28.5-million contract from the Rays before 2009.

He is only 27, but if Kazmir doesn't regain some zip on his fastball, which slipped from the 94-mph range to 89 mph, find his slider and command those pitches along with his changeup, he will be in danger of being released or demoted to the bullpen.

Hisanori Takahashi is primarily a reliever, but the Angels acquired the left-hander because he has extensive experience as a starter and can provide rotation insurance if Kazmir stumbles.

"This is a big year for me," said Kazmir, who is entering the final year of a contract that pays him $12 million this season. "I feel like I have something to prove. That wasn't me last year.""