"Scott Kazmir got the baseball equivalent of a summons to the principal's office Thursday, the second time this season the Angels left-hander has met with Manager Mike Scioscia and pitching coach Mike Butcher behind closed doors.

Kazmir had a similar meeting on May 12, when he was 2-3 with a 6.82 earned-run average and struggling with mechanical issues.

Kazmir gave up five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings of Wednesday night's 6-4 loss to the Rangers, dropping to 7-7 with a 5.67 ERA.

Thursday's meeting focused on Kazmir's long-lost slider, a pitch he has not thrown enough — or effectively enough — this season.

Kazmir, who has relied almost exclusively on his fastball and changeup, said his slider felt great in the bullpen Wednesday, but he threw "only about five of them" in the game.

This has been a common theme; the slider feels great in the bullpen, but not in the game.

"Some of the issues that have plagued Scott," Scioscia said, "have been a little redundant."

Vladimir Guerrero hammered a Kazmir changeup for a game-changing grand slam in the fourth inning.

"We need to mix it in more," Kazmir said of his slider. "I start to fall in love with my fastball and changeup, but I've got to give guys different looks. That's on me. I need to shake the catchers off more. I'm the one throwing the ball out there."

Even without his best slider, Kazmir won four straight starts from June 2-18, allowing six earned runs in 23 innings.

"He's gone against some good clubs, pitched seven or eight innings and won," Scioscia said. "I don't think his performances have been horrific.... But at some point you have to bring [the slider] into a game because it's such a good pitch for him.""