Percival Has New Pitches

No one is about to compare Troy Percival to soft-serving Seattle left-hander Jamie Moyer, but the Angel closer is not just a flamethrower anymore.

The veteran right-hander, who seems to have spent his entire 10-year career trying to perfect an off-speed pitch to go with a 95-mph fastball, has found command of not one but two off-speed pitches, a curve and a changeup, which he has used to keep a number of batters off balance in recent outings.

“My breaking ball has been good for five or six weeks,” said Percival, who has given up only three hits in his last 6 1/3 innings, a span covering seven appearances. “It’s not my out pitch, but I don’t use my fastball as a strikeout pitch as much anymore. Guys know me so well, I’ve had to change my game plan a little bit.”

An elbow injury that sidelined Percival for most of June and a number of other nagging injuries have combined to sap Percival of some velocity this season. Instead of pitching in the 96- to 98-mph range, he’s more in the 93- to 95-mph range, fast enough to be effective but not always enough to overpower hitters.

So, Percival has had to rely more on his off-speed pitches, which he featured prominently in his last outing Saturday night, inducing a popup from Victor Martinez on a changeup, striking out Travis Hafner on a 77-mph curve and Ben Broussard on an 81-mph changeup to close the Angels’ 6-1 victory over the Indians.

“He’s thrown some terrific pitches with the changeup, and he has a lot of confidence in it,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It definitely gives him a better package.”

Percival used to have 25-pitch outings in which he threw 24 fastballs, but as long as he had command of his heater, as he did in 1996, he was virtually untouchable. Percival had a 2.31 earned-run average that season, striking out 100 in 74 innings.

Percival is 2-3 with a 3.32 ERA and 26 saves in 43 appearances this season, and he is 13 for 14 in save opportunities since coming off the disabled list June 27. He has hardly been dominant, though -- he has 28 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings.

But he no longer needs to blow hitters away to be effective. Percival once threw a wild pitch so hard it went over the catcher’s head and through the mesh backstop behind home plate in Cleveland’s Jacobs Field.

As hard as he threw, Percival suffered some of his worst meltdowns in Jacobs Field, where he had a 14.00 ERA before this season. But with scoreless ninth innings Friday and Saturday night, Percival lowered his Jacobs Field ERA to 11.45.

“I’m still going to throw 95 mph,” Percival said, “but it’s nice against a team like the Indians, a team with a lot of dead-red fastball hitters, to have something else you can go to.”

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Angel fans who have been awaiting the arrival of third-base prospect Dallas McPherson will wait no more. The slugger, who combined to hit .317 with 40 home runs and 126 runs batted in for triple-A Salt Lake and double-A Arkansas this season, was called up along with reliever Matt Hensley on Monday, and the pair will join the Angels tonight.

McPherson will provide the Angels with a left-handed bat off the bench, and it’s possible, if left fielder Jose Guillen must sit out a few more games because of a swollen right wrist, he could play some third base, with current third baseman Chone Figgins moving to the outfield. But McPherson’s 29 errors in the minor leagues might prove too strong a deterrent for Scioscia to use McPherson in the field.

And with Troy Glaus back from shoulder surgery, it’s doubtful McPherson will start at designated hitter. At-bats, as reserve first baseman Andres Galarraga knows, have been difficult to come by for Angel bench players. Galarraga, two home runs shy of 400, has been up with the Angels for five games now and still has not played.

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ON DECK

Opponent -- Toronto Blue Jays, three games.

Site -- Angel Stadium.

TV -- Fox Sports Net all three games.

Radio -- KSPN (710), KTNQ (1020).

Records -- Angels 78-58, Blue Jays 57-80.

Record vs. Blue Jays -- 3-3.

Tonight, 7 -- Bartolo Colon (13-11, 5.44) vs. David Bush (3-3, 3.66).

Wednesday, 7 p.m. -- Kelvim Escobar (9-9, 4.10) vs. Justin Miller (2-3, 5.64).

Thursday, 7 p.m. -- Jarrod Washburn (11-5, 4.70) vs. Ted Lilly (9-10, 4.05).

Tickets -- (714) 663-9000.