Salk: It’s time — the Mariners need to find a use for Félix that isn’t starting
Jul 30, 2018, 9:30 AM | Updated: 10:25 am
Félix Hernández was roughed up again in the Mariners' loss Saturday to the Angels. (AP)
(AP)
After giving up seven runs to the Angels in a loss Saturday, Félix Hernández’s ERA sits at 5.58. Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock and Salk reacts to the Mariners veteran’s rough season in a year the team is making a playoff push.
Félix Hernández needs to be removed from the Mariners’ starting rotation.
I guess he can go to the bullpen, but it’s hard to see how he will help there at this point. He is bad right now and has been for a while. And it has become unfair to him, the fans, the organization and (most importantly) his teammates to let him keep starting.
Anyone who is arguing that he deserves the respect of being allowed to work it out – he’s already gotten that. No other player gets to pitch the way he has the last two to three years and take every turn in the rotation. He simply cannot hurt this team’s chances to make the playoffs any longer. It is time.
I certainly hope Félix has done everything in his power to fix what ails him. I hope he has turned over every rock, opened up his ears and worked his butt off away from the field. But nothing has ever given me that indication and most of what I hear is the opposite, so it is impossible to imagine the players being bothered by this move. If anything, it wouldn’t surprise me if they demanded it or at least requested it.
It’s time.
