Kazmir also has had a bit of help from his fellow rotation anchor, Shields. Primarily a fastball-slider pitcher throughout his career, Kazmir has begun using his change-up more often after getting some pointers from Shields, whose change is his signature pitch.

"He's throwing my change-up, but he's got his own little way of throwing it and it's a little different from the left side, but he's throwing it really well," Shields said. "It's got good depth, he's got great arm speed on it and he's throwing it with confidence. He hasn't had that with his change-up the last couple of years."

Kazmir acknowledged that his change-up, which could be an effective weapon against right-handed hitters in particular, is "coming along."