After three poor outings, Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton bounced back Thursday to have his best outing since his first start April 7. He allowed two runs in seven innings and had seven strikeouts in a no-decision against the Astros.
"He threw the ball just like I thought he was going to throw it," manager Lloyd McClendon said, per MLB.com. "He was very, very good. He really commanded the zone pretty darn good. His pitch count was down where he wanted it to be. It was just an outstanding outing for him."
Paxton had some troubles early in the game, as he allowed the first two batters in the first and second innings to reach base. However, he allowed just one run in the first two innings, and the Astros went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in the first three innings.
Paxton, who allowed 21 hits and 16 runs (13 earned) in 13 2/3 innings in his previous three starts, said his struggles were because he was drifting toward third base. On Thursday, he tried to stay more direct to home plate.
"I was just staying on line, being aggressive and going after them with the fastball," he said. "Everything was working pretty good for me today."