James Paxton isn’t a magician, but he might as well be after his latest performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers lefty had the Atlanta Braves swinging at air all afternoon, and it wasn’t some fancy new breaking ball. Paxton’s recent success hinges on an old-school adjustment: pumping the fastball high and tight.

We all know Paxton has the stuff. The velocity’s there—he’s got a max EV of 113.9 going on for this season, per StatCast; the movement’s there; but sometimes those pitches just end up in the outfield seats rather than the catcher’s mitt. It’s about command, and that’s where things started clicking for Paxton against Atlanta.

There’s an old saying that goes, “hitters can’t hit what they can’t see,” and Paxton took it to heart. By elevating his fastball, he completely disrupted the Braves’ timing. As the folks at SportsNet LA coverage pointed out, the pitcher sent a clear, metaphorical warning in his last game: “Hey, you have to cover it down as well as up.”

They were geared up for pitches down in the zone, and all of a sudden they were getting chin music—talk about a change of eye level! But it wasn’t just about elevation, either. James Paxton was painting the inside corner with that high heater, forcing the Braves to respect the entire strike zone. This opened up opportunities for his off-speed stuff, making that cutter and curveball even nastier. And the results speak for themselves.

Paxton cruised through 6.2 innings, scattering just five hits and allowing only one run (a solo shot, but you can’t win ’em all). He also kept the walks in check—a huge improvement for a guy who’s known to get a bit wild at times. And the best thing about his current form is that this isn’t some fluke or a mere stroke of luck.

Paxton’s been honing this high fastball approach, and it’s paying dividends. He’s not racking up the strikeouts he used to, but who cares? Soft contact, ground balls, and easy outs are just as good, if not better, when you’re talking about pitcher efficiency. And make no mistake, this is a blessing for the entire Dodgers team.

Hitters get the Blues? James Paxton’s painting corners and breaking spirits 

With Paxton confidently eating up innings, it takes a major load off the bullpen, and especially off of their slumping lineup on cloudy days—turning out to be a holy grail, of sorts. That means those high-leverage arms stay fresh for when they’re needed most. The ace may not be pulling rabbits out of hats, but he’s found a way to make his fastball disappear in the eyes of hitters. It’s a simple trick, but one that the Boys in Blue are surely happy to have up their sleeve.

Let’s hear it from those who witnessed the magic firsthand. “He changed eye levels early,” said one Spectrum SportsNet Live analyst after the game. “Sent another variable to those hitters.” This strategy shift was key to Paxton’s success, keeping hitters off-balance and uncomfortable throughout the outing.

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The numbers back up the analysts’ observations. While James Paxton’s strikeout total was lower in this game, the season-wide efficiency is off the charts. He needed a mere 84 pitches to secure 20 outs—his most efficient start of the year. This control also resulted in fewer walks, a crucial aspect of Paxton’s newfound consistency. “The stuff was always there,” says another analyst, highlighting how this isn’t about a velocity spike or breaking ball revamp.

“He goes, ‘Man, it’s not my stuff, it’s just I got to have better command,’—he had command today, especially against this Brave lineup. You see, the two base-on-balls, really one was kind of an intentional free pass.” This reinforces the point that Paxton’s dominance stemmed from precision and strategic pitching, not just raw talent. This newfound control unlocks the full potential of James Paxton, and Dodgers fans will be excited to see what other tricks he’s got waiting in his arsenal for this year.