Scott Kazmir’s comeback attempt with the Indians has been one of the most interesting stories to follow so far this spring and he continued to impress this afternoon against the Angels.
Kazmir allowed three hits and a walk over four scoreless innings against his former club while striking out four. Between Cactus League action and one minor league B-game appearance, the 29-year-old southpaw has an excellent 13/2 K/BB ratio over 11 shutout innings this spring. Yes, the same Kazmir who hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2011 and had an ugly 5.34 ERA in 14 starts for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters last year.
It’s dangerous to look too much into small sample sizes like this, as weird things can happen, but MLB Network’s Peter Gammons notes that Kazmir sat in the 89-93 mph range today and that his delivery has been “restored.” His unlikely case for the fifth spot in Cleveland’s rotation rolls on.