New, Improved Percival Ready to Return to Team

Troy Percival declared himself healthy and improved Thursday night after a one-inning, seven-pitch rehabilitation outing at Rancho Cucamonga with the Class-A Lake Elsinore Storm.

“I’m much more happy with my mechanical adjustments,” said Percival, who retired the three batters he faced on a liner to left, a grounder to second and a fly to right.

The Angel closer has been on the disabled list because of an inflamed right elbow since Aug. 4, when he surrendered a game-winning home run to Cleveland’s Jim Thome at Jacobs Field.

Percival’s first pitch Thursday was clocked at 97 mph. He said he’ll be ready to pitch again Saturday. Cleveland arrives at Edison Field tonight for a three-game series.

“They have so many dead-red [fastball] hitters, but they won’t be able to sit dead-red against me anymore,” Percival said of the Indians.

During his layoff, Percival has added a cut fastball to his arsenal. He threw it three times Thursday and said, “I put them right where I wanted, right on the corner.”

Percival followed an 11-day layoff by working closely with Angels’ roving minor league pitching instructor Mike Couchee, who oversaw his minor league conversion from catcher to pitcher. Couchee detected a flaw in Percival’s delivery during their bullpen work, and the reliever said it was corrected during a 35-pitch session Wednesday.

“I was flipping my glove up in the air and it was making me all wild,” Percival said.

Percival was followed by recently acquired left-hander Scott Karl, who pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out five and scattering five hits, all singles.

“That was the first time I’d pitched in a game in two weeks, so I expected to be a little rusty, but I felt great,” Karl said. “The first couple of innings I was feeling my way through, but as the game went on I felt stronger and stronger.”