Paxton allowed four earned run on five hits and a walk over three-plus innings in Friday's 10-7 Cactus League loss to the Giants. He recorded four strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

The final line wasn't pretty, but the southpaw actually considered it progress from his 1.2 inning-outing versus the Rangers in his last start. According to a report by Greg Johns of MLB.com, Paxton was pleased with both his fastball location and the sharpness of his breaking pitches Friday, which helped him notch his first four strikeouts of the exhibition slate. The improvements he displayed give him reason for optimism that he'll be able to sort the rest of the kinks out before the games start to count. Factoring in Friday's line, the 29-year-old has allowed 11 earned runs on 13 hits and three walks over 6.2 innings across three starts this spring.