The Seattle Mariners and their fans were holding their collective breaths last week as their ace pitcher, Felix Hernandez, missed his scheduled start with back stiffness that had bothered him for a while. It was not believed to be too serious of an injury, but a team never likes when their best pitcher misses a start for any reason.
There were talks of Hernandez returning on Sunday for a matchup with the Dodgers, but that is no longer the case. According to this story from KJR Sports Radio, he will return on Tuesday night to face the San Diego Padres.
Eric Wedge said Friday that Felix Hernandez will not start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday and will instead bump back one more game to start against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
Hernandez missed his last start due to tightness in his back. Wedge said Hernandez is feeling much better, but that with another off-day on Monday, they wanted to give him two more days of rest just to be careful.
Hernandez will still be able to make six starts before the All-Star break even after getting moved back two days.
The Padres have been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball this season, so breaking Hernandez back in against their lineup might not be a bad idea. It will be interesting to see just how much freedom the Mariners will give him in Tuesday's start if he begins to show signs of a sore back.
Blake Beavan will get the start on Sunday instead of King Felix.
For more on Hernandez and the Mariners, head over to Lookout Landing.