Paxton (1-0) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk over five innings in Sunday's 11-7 Cactus League win over the Padres. He struck out six.

EDGE Analysis

Just passed over by Felix Hernandez (forearm) for the Opening Day start, Paxton nevertheless came out and delivered an effort befitting his No. 2 starter role. The two earned runs he was touched up for came in the form of solo shots in his final inning of work, and he was able to work up to 88 pitches overall, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Despite the pair of hiccups, manager Scott Servais came away feeling secure in one of the most important components of his rotation heading into the regular season. "Pax threw the ball really well," Servais said. "He got a couple balls up in the wind that didn't help him out, but he got his pitches in, his stuff was good, his curve was good. I just probably held my breath as much as anything with him out there just to get his pitches in, get him off the mound and let's move forward."

Paxton compiled seven strikeouts while allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk over 4.2 innings in Wednesday's 5-4 Cactus League win over the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Paxton remains on track to be the Mariners' Opening Day starter if Felix Hernandez (forearm) isn't ready to go, and Wednesday's performance was much more befitting of that role than those of his previous two appearances. The left-hander had been knocked around for 11 earned runs over 4.2 innings in that pair of trips to the mound, so the results he generated against the Giants were an especially welcome sight. Paxton's seven whiffs -- the first three which came in a dominant first inning -- were a spring high, as were his 4.2 frames. He'll look to build on the encouraging effort in a likely turn against the Angels next Monday.

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.

Paxton allowed seven earned runs on seven hits and one walk over 1.2 innings in Sunday's 10-7 Cactus League win over the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

As his final line implies, Paxton was in trouble early and often, surrendering a solo home run to Robinson Chirinos and a three-run blast to Ryan Rua in the second, with the latter round tripper knocking him out of the contest. Greg Johns of MLB.com reports that Paxton felt his fastball lacked his explosion, although he added that he wasn't experiencing any arm trouble. The location issues that the southpaw endured Sunday were in sharp contrast to his first outing, a two-inning, one-hit, one-walk scoreless effort against the Padres on Feb. 27. He'll look to bounce back in a likely Friday start against the Giants.

Paxton agreed to a one-year, $4.9 million deal with the Mariners on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

This was the second year as an arbitration-eligible player for Paxton, as the southpaw received a healthy bump up from $2.35 million last offseason. During the 2017 campaign, he posted a 2.98 ERA and 1.10 WHIP while holding a 156:37 K:BB over 24 starts. He did miss time due to forearm and pectoral injuries, but he should be a sought after target with ace potential heading into this season.

Paxton pitched six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts during Sunday's loss to the Angels. He didn't factor into the decision.

EDGE Analysis

The hard-throwing southpaw lobbied to make a final start this season, and he rewarded the Mariners and fantasy owners with a gem. Paxton will finish the campaign with an impressive 2.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.3 K/9. Injuries remain a concern entering the 2018 season, but there's no denying Paxton's upside when healthy.

Paxton will start Sunday's season finale against the Angels, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Mariners debated shutting Paxton down for the season after his last start Tuesday, but he wanted to take the ball one more time before the 2017 campaign came to a close, and manager Scott Servais ultimately decided to grant his wish. Paxton has faced the Angels three times this season and is 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA, 15:8 K:BB, and .190 BAA.

Paxton retains "a 50 percent chance" of starting the Mariners' final game of the season this coming Sunday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The odds were cited by manager Scott Servais, who was scheduled to meet with Paxton on Wednesday to discuss the matter. Servais emphasized that Paxton wants to take the mound for the final game of the regular season, but that he'd like to talk through the pros and cons of making the start with him before a final decision is reached. The Mariners have already pulled Felix Mike Leake and Felix Hernandez from their scheduled starts on Friday and Saturday, leaving open the possibility that they may opt to do the same with Paxton, who had a recent disabled list stint due to a pectoral injury.

Paxton allowed three runs on six hits over 5.1 innings Tuesday while striking out five, but he didn't factor into the decision in a 6-3 win over the A's.

EDGE Analysis

A four-run seventh inning by the Mariners took Paxton off the hook for his sixth loss of the year. The lefty is currently set to make one more start in the regular-season finale Sunday on the road against the Angels, but the team has been shutting down banged-up players like Felix Hernandez since they were eliminated from postseason contention, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they did the same with the oft-injured Paxton.

Paxton, who threw 73 pitches in Thursday's start against the Rangers, saw his fastball reach as high as 98.4 mph during the outing, Josh Horton of MLB.com reports. "It just felt like when I needed something, I could go get it, velocity-wise," Paxton said. "The velocity was better, and I was executing pitches in better locations as a whole."

EDGE Analysis

The figure is impressive in and of itself, but also represents a very encouraging improvement over what Paxton was able to muster in his first start back from a disabled list stint due to a pectoral injury. The southpaw had only hit the low 90s with his fastball in that appearance, but he managed to average 94.7 mph Thursday. He's poised to potentially make two more starts before season's end, with the first slated to come against the Athletics next Tuesday.