Paxton labors through another rough outing
Mariners lefty matches shortest start of career
SEATTLE -- James Paxton hasn't had the start to his 2015 season he envisioned. Sunday's outing did nothing to change that for the second-year pro.
The Mariners left-hander allowed seven runs -- two earned -- and wasn't able to make it out of the third inning in an eventual 11-10 Seattle win over the Texas Rangers. It also matched the shortest outing of his career. Paxton has a 5.40 ERA in three starts this season.
Some of it had to do with a spell of bad breaks in the third. The Rangers scored four runs to open the frame off Paxton -- despite just two balls leaving the infield -- thanks to a pair of infield hits, an error and a couple groundouts. Paxton couldn't overcome the poor luck and allowed a home run, double and single later in the inning.
"Things weren't going my way, but I also wasn't making good pitches," Paxton said. "I was staying in the middle of the zone too much and making mistakes. I'm struggling right now, but I'm not going to quit fighting. I'm going to figure it out and persevere."
Paxton said he thinks he's letting his body rotate too much as he delivers the ball to the plate. He believes it's to blame for a poor outing against the Dodgers earlier in the season, as well as for his recent drop in velocity.