Paxton, who threw 73 pitches in Thursday's start against the Rangers, saw his fastball reach as high as 98.4 mph during the outing, Josh Horton of MLB.com reports. "It just felt like when I needed something, I could go get it, velocity-wise," Paxton said. "The velocity was better, and I was executing pitches in better locations as a whole."
The figure is impressive in and of itself, but also represents a very encouraging improvement over what Paxton was able to muster in his first start back from a disabled list stint due to a pectoral injury. The southpaw had only hit the low 90s with his fastball in that appearance, but he managed to average 94.7 mph Thursday. He's poised to potentially make two more starts before season's end, with the first slated to come against the Athletics next Tuesday.