James Paxton will be on the mound Boston Red Sox against Wednesday night Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., something that both the lefty and the organization couldn’t be sure would ever happen just a few months ago
Paxton made his first two starts in Red Sox Earlier this month, a year and a half after he signed with the club as a free agent. It Red Sox Signed Paxton in December 2021 despite being expected to miss the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery.
It Red Sox Paying Paxton $6 million in 2022, mostly to rehabilitate the former Mariner and Yankee. However, the club declined to pay him $13 million per season in both 2023 and 2024. However, Paxton had a $4 million player option to stay in Boston through 2023, and he picked it up.
“For me, I was just trying to get my legs back under me in the big leagues,” Paxton said. “These guys Red Soxthe training staff and the medical team) knew me very well, they were rehabilitating me last year and they did a fantastic job of it. I felt comfortable with this group. I just felt like it was the right group to get me up in the big leagues.
Paxton could get more on the open market, but after talking with his agent, Scott Boras, the 34-year-old Canadian made the call to stay.
“It wasn’t the longest conversation we’ve ever had,” Paxton said. “It was just that. “Look, you haven’t played in a few years, now you feel comfortable there. It’s about getting yourself back on the mound and feeling good.” I just felt this was the right place and (Boras) agreed.
“There’s also a piece where I felt like I owed it to the team to play here.”
He is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA this season, including his first win since Aug. 15, 2020, when he allowed just one run and five hits in six innings against the San Diego Padres on Friday.
Paxton has done well against Angels 4-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 12 starts in his career. He will try to help Red Sox avoid getting lost Angels after losing the first two games of the series, 2-1 on Monday and 4-0 on Tuesday
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (1-0, 5.27 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season. Angels. He won his first start on April 2 against the Oakland A’s, but has gone no-decision in all seven starts since. In his last outing in Baltimore on Thursday, Anderson gave up three runs and six hits in five innings.
He is 0-0 with a 7.56 ERA in two career starts against Boston.
Anderson has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last four starts, including his longest outing of the season on April 28, when he gave up one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, a season high. high seven
“That was his best” Angels Manager Phil Nevin said: “That’s what we saw last year (when Anderson pitched for the Dodgers, going 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA). Very well located. The change was really good. He added some speed. I thought he was really cool.
It Red Sox Hopefully they can muster more offense against Anderson than they did in the first two games of the series. Boston yielded one run, six hits and four walks while striking out 16 in the two losses.
— Field level media