Paxton pitched seven scoreless innings while allowing just four hits, two walks and striking out eight batters during Monday's 6-0 win over Houston.

EDGE Analysis

Considering the Astros are an admirable opponent -- especially against left-handed hurlers -- this was an impressive followup to his solid first outing. Paxton has now pitched 13 scoreless innings with a 0.69 WHIP and 13 strikeouts. He dominated his final 11 starts of 2016 with a 9.44 K/9 (26.1 K%), 3.19 ERA (2.45 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP through 67.2 innings, and it appears the promising lefty is picking up exactly where he left off. Paxton's fantasy stock is rising quickly.

Paxton allowed only two hits and a walk with five strikeouts over six shining innings in a no-decision against Houston on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

He was long gone by the time the Astros pulled out a 13-inning win. A popular name in this year's drafts, Paxton experienced awful BABIP luck last season, leading to a 3.79 ERA that was nearly a full run worse than his FIP (2.85). One of the hardest-throwing starters in the game, Paxton has a chance to develop into a top-flight fantasy asset as he embarks on his first full campaign in the big leagues.

Paxton fired three scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League tie with the Rockies, surrendering three hits and a walk. He struck out four.

EDGE Analysis

The Mariners' No. 3 starter wrapped up spring in fine fashion and finished the exhibition slate with a 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and sparkling 15:2 K:BB over 12 innings across three starts. Paxton will look to pitch a full season for the first time in his career after topping out 121 innings in 2016.

Paxton has been named the Mariners' No. 3 starter, the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish reports.

EDGE Analysis

He will start at Houston on Apr. 5 against Charlie Morton. Paxton will slot in behind Hisashi Iwakuma in the Mariners' rotation, but he is more appealing than Iwakuma for fantasy purposes, given the big steps forward he took last season. The only question is how many inning he will be able to log, as injuries have been a big part of the first four years of his MLB career.

Paxton (illness) was able to make a minor-league start Saturday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Paxton has been under the weather for a few days, but he was able to get his work in. He looks good, too, as he has recorded an outstanding 11:1 K:BB ratio during Cactus League action to date.

Paxton (illness) will have his scheduled start Friday skipped due to a head cold, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hisashi Iwakuma will take Paxton's spot on the mound for Friday's game against the Royals. Fortunately, Johns is reporting that Paxton is just dealing with a case of the cold, so there's little reason for concern regarding the hard-throwing lefty's status heading into the season. Although Paxton has given up four earned runs over 9.0 innings this spring, he's sporting a strong 11:1 K:BB over that stretch.

Paxton threw 80 pitches and recorded eight strikeouts over 4.2 innings in a minor league game Sunday afternoon, Doug Miller of MLB.com reports. "I definitely could have thrown more fastballs today, but we wanted to work on the curveball and the cutter and throwing them behind in counts," Paxton said. "I feel really good about where I'm at. I'm right where I should be."

EDGE Analysis

The Mariners' projected No. 3 pitcher gave up two earned runs on three hits and two walks but most important, was able to work on different pitches in a low-pressure environment. Paxton has generated an 11:1 K:BB over nine innings across three appearances (two starts) this spring and is looking to stay healthy after topping out at 20 starts in a season in 2016.

Paxton (1-0) gave up an earned run on three hits over four innings in Tuesday's 7-6 Cactus League win over the White Sox. He struck out four.

EDGE Analysis

Paxton cruised through what was his longest stint of spring, with the third-inning solo home run he surrendered to Yolmer Sanchez the only true blemish on his 62-pitch outing. The left-hander has posted an 0.89 WHIP and .212 BAA over nine spring innings, with the three round-trippers on his ledger thus far the one area of concern. Despite the one long ball Tuesday, Paxton came away feeling positive overall about his progress through three appearances. "I didn't feel great out there and didn't have my best stuff," Paxton said. "But I mixed speeds a little, kept them off balance. It's going to happen during the season. There'll be days I don't have my good curveball or cutter and just have to figure it out. It's the learning process, and I feel like I've learned a lot about myself."

Paxton fanned five and gave up one earned run on one hit over three innings in Thursday's 8-6 Cactus League win over the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

Paxton's only hiccup was allowing Anthony Rizzo's first homer of spring in the first inning, as he then proceed to retire the next seven batters he faced. Impressively, four of Paxton's five strikeouts came on called third strikes, as he got ahead of hitters with his fastball before using a sharp curve to close the deal. His performance thus far this spring represents a sharp contrast to a rocky effort last year, one that resulted in Paxton starting the season at Triple-A Tacoma. The 28-year-old has locked in to a lower arm slot that already helped him up his velocity in the second half of last season, and his fastball has reached the upper 90s this spring on a consistent basis. Considering his strikeout victims Thursday included Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward, Paxton made a considerable impression. "Paxton was really the story of the day," manager Scott Servais said after his reserves rallied with four runs in the ninth to pull out the victory. "We swung the bats really well, but Paxton was really on top of his game against their 'A' lineup out there. It was great to see him using all his pitches and working both sides of the plate. Very, very encouraging."

Paxton surrendered two earned runs on three hits and one walk over two innings in Saturday's 4-3 Cactus League win over the Rockies. He struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

The Mariners' projected No. 3 starter fired 40 pitches over his time on the mound, with his performance a tale of two contrasting frames. Paxton yielded a two-run homer to Ian Desmond in the fourth after having surrendered a double to DJ LeMahieu earlier in the inning, but came back to whiff Trevor Story with a man on to close things out. The 28-year-old then pitched a scoreless fifth, retiring LeMahieu with Charlie Blackmon on to wrap up his initial spring appearance. Paxton will move into his normal spot in the rooation and draw the start against the Cubs on Thursday, which he feels will help with his performance. "I'll definitely be ready for three innings next time. It felt a little bit off there. My timing wasn't very good. But that will come. I'll go back to work and get ready for the next one."