PEORIA, Ariz. — In front of a small group of fans on Field 3 of the Mariners’ practice diamonds and facing players ranging from age 19-22, Mariners lefty James Paxton had his longest outing of the spring, throwing 4 2/3 innings and 80 pitches against the White Sox Advanced Class A team. He gave up two runs on three hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in the 19 batters he faced.
Why was Paxton pitching there?
With the Mariners facing the Rangers — an American League West rival — in Surprise on Sunday, the organization chose not to start Paxton in the Cactus League game.