KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez will get an extra day of rest prior to his next start as a precaution after exiting last Sunday’s game at Texas because of a stiff elbow.
Hernandez is now slotted to pitch Saturday against the Angels at Anaheim. He has said repeatedly he considers the ailment to be minor and dismissed any suggestion he might not make his final two projected starts.
“It ain’t happening,” he said. “I’m fine.”
Even so, manager Lloyd McClendon opted for extra caution in pushing his ace back from Friday to Saturday. Doing so still permits Hernandez to get two more starts and a chance to achieve several personal milestones.
The move also leaves the Mariners without an announced starter for Friday’s series opener against the Angels, although McClendon is expected to choose between Taijuan Walker and Vidal Nuno.
It could also affect the postseason race.
Shifting Hernandez to Saturday means he won’t start, as previously scheduled, on Sept. 30 against Houston, which leads the chase for the final American League wild-card berth.
Instead, Hernandez’s final start now projects as Oct. 2 against Oakland in the season-ending series at Safeco Field.
About those milestones: Hernandez (18-9) needs one more victory to match his career high, set in 2009, and two to become the Mariners’ first 20-game winner since Jaime Moyer won 21 in 2003.
Hernandez also needs 41⁄3 more innings for an eighth straight 200-inning season and 15 more strikeouts to reach 200 for the seventh straight season.
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