Execution is Colon’s problem

Though the results indicate otherwise, the Angels insist Bartolo Colon’s troublesome right shoulder is sound and say the veteran right-hander’s recent struggles have more to do with pitch execution than any physical problems.

Since returning from a rotator-cuff tear in late April and going 5-0 with a 3.69 earned-run average in his first six starts, Colon is 1-2 with a 9.15 ERA in his last four starts, giving up 21 earned runs and 35 hits, including nine homers, in 20 2/3 innings.

But Colon’s fastball was consistently clocked around 94 mph Thursday in Cincinnati, where he gave up four earned runs in six innings of a 9-7 victory, and pitching coach Mike Butcher said the movement on Colon’s two-seam and four-seam fastballs is still “as good as any pitcher in the game.”

How can Butcher tell Colon is OK?

“Communication,” he said. “If Bart tells us he’s OK, we believe him. We look with our own eyes, and ... the way the ball is coming out of his hand, I believe he’s healthy. It really comes down to the execution of pitches and staying ahead in the count. When he commands his fastball, he has success.”

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One of the Angels’ top pitching prospects, hard-throwing right-hander Jose Arredondo, was demoted from double-A Arkansas to Class-A Rancho Cucamonga this week for storming off the mound after being replaced in the ninth inning of a June 6 game against Wichita.

Arredondo, a 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic, had a 2.52 ERA in 23 games and 10 saves in 11 chances as Arkansas’ closer, a performance that earned him a Texas League All-Star berth before his demotion.

“We made a decision that was best for his overall development,” player development director Tony Reagins said. “We want him to reach the big leagues. There are bumps in the road along the way, and this is one of them.”

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When trainers at Long Beach State suggested Jered Weaver see a chiropractor a few years ago, Weaver was “nervous, scared, I didn’t like the idea of people cracking my back. I refused to go.”

After two visits to a chiropractor in the last two weeks, the Angels right-hander, who has experienced lower-back tightness, is now a strong proponent of the treatment.

“They put me on the table, loosened me up with some heat and stretching, then the guy did his magic, popping and cracking my back,” Weaver said. “It helped relieve pressure, like cracking your knuckles. I’d highly recommend it. I feel a lot better.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com