Felix mows ‘em down; ready for prime time

Felix Hernandez threw a 35-pitch simulated game this morning that had the minor l eague hitters he faced muttering to themselves and manager Don Wakamatsu spewing superlatives at what he saw.

Hernandez didn’t allow a hit to the 10 batters he faced, five of whom he struck out.

“I thought he looked outstanding,” Wakamatsu said. “It’s really impressive to me to watch what a difference a year makes in the way he goes about his business. I think he’s on track. I know we’ve held him back a little bit, but watching the action of his pitches, I couldn’t be more pleased at this point.”

Wakamatsu said Hernandez would pitch in the bullpen on Friday, then start one of the games on the Tucson trip, likely Sunday against the Rockies.

This also was an important day for catcher Rob Johnson, who saw his first game-speed action since last season. Since then, Johnson has undergone surgery on both hips and left wrist.

Johnson was pleased, although one pitch from Hernandez did get away from him and he dropped a popup behind the plate (It’s a cool, rainy and windy day here, by the way).

“All I looked for is his health and the way he’s moving back there,” Wakamatsu said. “Obviously he dropped a couple of balls but I don’t know who could catch (Hernandez) today, his ball was moving so much. I think tomorrow is going to be a big day to see how he responds from that.”

If Johnson checks out, he’ll probably start his first game on the Tucson trip, Wakamatsu said.

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