Mariners Noon Number: James Paxton’s triumphant return from the disabled list

James Paxton threw 74 pitches in his return from the disabled list to lead the Seattle Mariners over the Colorado Rockies, 5-0, for the M’s fourth win in a row.

Paxton was masterful over 5 1/3 innings, plus a couple of batters. He allowed just three hits, with two coming back-to-back after recording the first out of the sixth inning. Even more impressive: zero walks.

This is a guy that missed almost a full month, then had one four-inning rehab start to get ready for one of the better-hitting teams in baseball.

Paxton showed right from the start he was amped for this one. His first three fastballs read: 96, 97, 98; he settled in a 94-96 through the appearance. He mixed in a handful of cutters and changeups, and made very good use of his nasty knuckle-curve, which showed no sign of rust being off for several weeks.

The M’s being play on Thursday 13 games behind Houston in the A.L. West, but somewhat shockingly only 3 1/2 out of a wildcard spot. It might seem silly to be talking about playoffs still four games below .500, but it goes to show what a different team this is – and should have been all along – with Major League pitching instead of a revolving door of prospects and organizational depth for weeks at a time.

The Mariners goal now is to get back to .500, stay there, and build momentum. The hope is that when Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma return later in the month, it’s to a team that could envision making a run for it during the dog days, instead of one better suited to sell off parts.