The coddling of Felix Hernandez continues in Tacoma, where the Mariners’ 19-year-old pitching prospect is on a carefully planned journey toward the big leagues.
When Hernandez appears in a Mariners uniform is anybody’s guess, but it’s clear that nobody is rushing him.
Hernandez gave up two hits in seven innings of the Rainiers’ 8-4 victory over first-place Salt Lake on Friday.
He is 4-2 with a 2.75 earned run average and has pitched 36 innings in six starts as the Mariners hold down his workload to protect his valuable right arm.
“We’re watching his innings and we will continue to do so,” said Benny Looper, the Mariners’ vice president for player development and scouting. “He’s a 19-year-old kid with a bright future. We don’t want to jeopardize that.”
Like the Mariners, the Rainiers have started slowly and struggled in their home ballpark. The victory Friday made them 4-9 at home compared with a 9-6 road record.
Outfielder Chris Snelling continued his solid hitting, with a .417 average, three home runs and 15 RBI entering Saturday’s game. Shortstop Michael Morse was hitting .297, outfielder Shin-Soo Choo .293 and infielder Aaron Rifkin .283 with seven homers and 24 RBI. Rifkin was named the PCL Player of the Week after raising his batting average 85 points.
On Friday, Choo became only the second known player to hit a home run over Cheney Stadium’s center field wall, which is 29 feet tall and 425 feet from home plate. Former Rainier A.J. Zapp also cleared the wall last year.
Elsewhere around the Mariners’ minor league system:
Class AA San Antonio Missions: Outfielder T.J. Bohn is fourth in the Texas League with a .363 average for the Missions, who entered Saturday 15-13 and second in the Texas League West.
Catcher Rene Rivera was batting .312 and infielder Nate Espy .302.
Left-hander Bobby Livingston was 3-1 with a 2.41 earned run average after six starts. Right-handed reliever Jeff Harris was 3-0, 3.20 in seven appearances.
Class A Inland Empire 66ers: Infielder Matt Rogelstad entered Saturday second in the California League with a .373 average for the 66ers, who continued to struggle. They were 10-18 and last in the California League South, 6 games behind Lake Elsinore.
Infielder Michael Garciaparra was batting .300 and outfielder Wladimir Balentien had hit seven home runs.
Left-handed pitcher Chris Key was 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 10 relief appearances.
Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: Infielder Asdrubal Cabrera continued his hot hitting after he’d missed the first three weeks of the season with an ankle injury. He entered Saturday hitting .413 after 11 games, with two home runs, seven RBI and five doubles.
Catcher Rob Johnson was hitting .329, shortstop Matt Tuiasosopo .325 and outfielder Josh Womack .320 with seven steals. Womack had a 22-game hitting streak end on Thursday.
Third baseman Yung Chi Chen, hitting .287, was second in the Midwest League with 22 RBI. He has five doubles, two triples and a home run.
Right-hander Aaron Jensen is 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA after six starts and right-hander Mumba Rivera 3-0, 2.79 in five starts. Right-handed reliever Cibney Bello had a 0.95 ERA in eight appearances.
The Timber Rattlers, comprised mostly of players who were at Class A Everett last year, have cooled off after a fast start to the season. They lost five of six games entering Saturday and were two games behind first-place Clinton in the Western Division.
Catcher Omar Falcon rejoined the Rattlers last week after serving his suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
