Scott Kazmir's downward spiral with the Los Angeles Angels finally ended Wednesday when the team gave him his unconditional release, opting to swallow the $14.5 million they still owe him rather than return him to the active roster. "Right now it's the best thing for (Kazmir). Hopefully he can get off that treadmill and restore his career because he was really struggling trying to get the ability to compete again, and I mean get his tools where can compete again up here. He wasn't going in the right direction," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. Kazmir, who had been placed on the disabled list after his first start of the season, was 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA last year. After spending more than a month at extended spring training to try to regain the form that made him one of the best young pitchers in the game a few years ago, Kazmir struggled miserably during his minor league rehab stint. Angels general manager Tony Reagins happened to be at the most recent outing for Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=6665950
