Red Sox's James Paxton: Racks up eight Ks in no-decision
Rotowire
Paxton took a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to Cincinnati after allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over five innings.
Paxton looked very good in the outing, notching twice as many punchouts (eight) as hits allowed (four). He racked up an impressive 22 swinging strikes but couldn't go deeper into the contest since he needed 100 pitches to get through five frames. Paxton was knocked around to the tune of five runs over three frames against the Angels his last time out but has otherwise been a nice addition for Boston since coming off the IL on May 10, yielding two or fewer earned runs in his other three starts. Paxton also appears to still have above-average swing-and-miss stuff, as he's tallied 27 strikeouts across 19 innings overall.
Paxton (1-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs on four hits and three walks over three innings against the Angels. He struck out five.
Paxton surrendered just three runs across his first two starts of the season after missing the first six weeks with a hamstring issue, but he struggled Wednesday and recorded just nine outs. The 34-year-old's last full season was 2019, when he produced a 3.82 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 150.2 innings. However, he's made only nine starts since due to multiple injuries, making his reliability a question mark.
Paxton (1-0) earned the win Friday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over six innings in a 6-1 win over the Padres. He struck out five.
This was only Paxton's second start of the year after missing the first month-plus with a strained hamstring. The southpaw's first year in Boston is off to a good start, as he's allowed just three runs over 11 innings and now has recorded his first win since 2020. The tenth-year veteran is tentatively slated to face the Angels on the road in his next start.
