Paxton (11-3) was dominant in Sunday's win over the Mets, scattering six hits over six shutout innings while striking out eight without a walk.
Paxton didn't allow a single extra-base hit while improving his K:BB to 34:1 over 26 innings in his past four starts. He has morphed into the clear ace of Seattle's pitching staff, earning wins in each of his past six appearances while holding opponents to a total of six runs over 39.1 innings for a 1.37 ERA in that span. His Friday road clash with a Royals team that has won 10 of its past 11 games represents a classic unstoppable force meets immovable object conundrum.