Newly Signed Dodgers Starter Revealed Reason For 2023 Second Half Struggles

James Paxton didn't pitch a full season for almost two years before 2023.

James Paxton's first half of 2023 was remarkable for a pitcher who had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and missed all of 2022.

Through his first 10 starts with Boston last year, he was 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA.

However, the All-Star Break came, and Paxton's stamina wasn't there for the second half. In nine starts after the break, Paxton was 2-4 with an ERA of 6.98.

“The second half, I started to get pretty tired,” he said. “It had been 2.5 years since I pitched, and the innings kind of built up there. I was going pretty deep into ballgames there for quite awhile and I just ran out of gas there at end. Then my body started to bark at me a little bit, my knee and stuff like that. So I wasn’t able to execute pitches the way that I needed.”

Per James Paxton via O.C. Register

Overall, his first full season back from surgery turned into a tale of two halves. He finished the season  7-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts.

Paxton and the Dodgers agreed to a one-year contract last month, and he threw his first bullpen at Camelback Ranch on Saturday.

He believes he is a "full go" for the start of the season, and so does the front office.