Veteran pitcher James Paxton exited Wednesday’s game after a short stint on the mound. The left-hander threw three scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out three, contributing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-3 victory against the New York Mets.
Paxton had only four days of rest before pitching, and his time on the mound limited by the franchise. Discussing the same, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said:
“I think that’s the whole deal. When he signed up the thought was he was best when given a little bit of extra rest in between starts and so kind of this circumstance lined up where we needed him to go on regular rest.”
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“And so with that we wanted to make sure that we shortened it and I felt that you know where he was at close to 60 pitch or something like that. He gave us what we needed knowing we had some length behind us. So it was really good to see him pick us up right there.”
Throughout the game, James Paxton threw 50 pitches, with 29 of them being strikes. After he left the mound, the Dodgers used six more pitchers.
So far in the 2024 season, Paxton has pitched 52 innings, giving up 28 walks and striking out 31 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
James Paxton addressed limited time on the mound appreciating the team’s efforts to prioritize his health
Last season, James Paxton struggled when pitching on just four days of rest, going 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA. However, when he had at least five days of rest, he went 7-3 with a 3.57 ERA.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are ensuring that the 35-year-old Paxton has enough time to rest and perform at his best. Talking about the same, he said:
“I think they want to take care of me. It’s kind of a long term play. I think keeping my innings down and giving me a little bit of rest especially doing five days for the first time, keeping a load a little lighter. I feel fine though, felt great. But I think it’s just kind of a play for later on down the season.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers have swept the New York Mets with their latest win and are set to start another three-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
