After another strong outing by veteran left-hander James Paxton against the San Diego Padres on Saturday, the Dodgers are getting more than they likely could have hoped for from him. Paxton signed a 1-year deal with Los Angeles during the offseason to provide them with depth but has emerged as one of their more consistent pitchers.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot,” Paxton said.
Against the Padres, Paxton went six shutout innings, allowing just four hits, and striking out four. He has posted an ERA of 2.58 over seven starts this season, proving to be one of the biggest steals from the offseason.
The emergence of Paxton has been especially timely for the Dodgers with injuries to a few of their pitchers. Second-year man Bobby Miller has been out due to shoulder inflammation and the team just got former ace Walker Buehler back from his Tommy John surgery recovery.
Los Angeles believed that Paxton could be a great addition to their starting rotation but even the most positive projections probably didn’t see this coming. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t mince words when asked about his performance expectations so far.
“He’s exceeded it,” manager Dave Roberts said.
If Paxton can continue this dominance, the Dodgers will be very tough to deal with going forward. The starting rotation has been a major strength for this team all season and they don’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
