Mariners notebook: Felix Hernandez should make next start

KANSAS CITY – Felix Hernandez is not worried that the elbow stiffness he experienced Sunday in Texas will keep him from his remaining starts.

“It ain’t happening,” he answered when asked if there was a possibility he could miss his start against Anaheim.

Felix said his elbow felt fine but acknowledged that the true test would come when he played catch later Tuesday afternoon. Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon agreed that Felix would have to be able to go through his normal routine without trouble before he was allowed to make his Friday start, but like Felix, he didn’t seem to worried.

“If he’s ready, he’ll go. If not, then he won’t go,” McClendon said.

This doesn’t appear to be serious. Felix has said that his elbow feels fine and hasn’t required any extra treatment. While he hadn’t had an opportunity to play catch before speaking to the media Tuesday, he did play golf without incident on the Mariners’ off day Monday. In fact, it was a very typical game for Felix, who doesn’t quite have the command of a golf ball that he has with a baseball and has been known to go through a dozen golf balls in a round.

“I was happy. I made one par,” he said with a smile.

Lineup!

Ketel Marte, SS
Kyle Seager, 3B
Nelson Cruz, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Franklin Gutierrez, LF
Seth Smith, RF
Jesus Montero, 1B
Brad Miller, CF
Jesus Sucre, C

Iwakuma, RHP

Notes

• Felix is scheduled to start Friday and could be pushed to Saturday if need be as that start is still not assigned.

• The Angels have announced they will start Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney and Jered Weaver against the Mariners this weekend.

• We most likely have seen the last of Nelson Cruz in the outfield this season. He is still experiencing quad soreness and McClendon acknowledged that he could be limited to DH the remainder of the year.

• Logan Morrison is not with the team. He made it back to Seattle in time to be there for the birth of his first child, Ily Sophia Morrison, who was born at 5:44 a.m. Tuesday. McClendon said that he expects Morrison to miss a few days and that his wife Christine and the baby were doing well.

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