Mariners notebook: Felix Hernandez to get a break

CHICAGO – When I asked Lloyd McClendon after the Mariners’ win Friday why he was starting Edgar Olmos on Sunday, he said in part because they wanted to give Mike Montgomery a break and because Olmos had thrown the ball well in his short time with the Mariners. When asked Saturday if there was a specific reason he was going with Olmos and not Vidal Nuno on Sunday, he had a different answer.

“There’s a big reason I decided that,” he said. “Because Nuno’s pitching in Houston, the first day in Houston.”

Monday would normally be Felix’s day to pitch, but McClendon is skipping him. Not because there is anything wrong, but rather to “freshen him up,” according to the skipper.

“I did the same thing last year to freshen them up and Felix had the best September of his career,” he said. “And everybody thought I was nuts when I did it. I will do it again because it’s the right thing to do.”

Felix is at 167 innings through 26 starts, 18 fewer innings than he threw in 2014 in as many starts. Still, with the workload he has had throughout his career and the stressful innings he pitched this year, it is good to see them back off him a bit. McClendon said that Taijuan Walker, who has already eclipsed his 2014 innings total, will be skipped a start as well sometime soon.

“Ideally you would like to freshen guys up twice through the course of a year but for various reasons. Obviously the injuries we’ve had, it wasn’t possible,” McClendon said. “But we will freshen him up and get him ready for the stretch run.”

So no Happy Felix Day in Houston, but a much deserved break.

Lineup!

Ketel Marte, SS
Kyle Seager, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Seth Smith, LF
Logan Morrison, 1B
Mark Trumbo, DH
Brad Miller, CF
Jesus Sucre, C

Hisashi Iwakuma, RHP

Notes

• With Olmos starting Sunday I would expect to see John Hicks make his Major League debut, as Hicks has caught Olmos a bunch in Tacoma. He caught his last start, in fact, a game where he had to be lifted after the fifth inning despite having a no-hitter because he wasn’t fully stretched out.

• The pen will be a bit short Saturday. With two relievers making starts in the next few days only six arms are listed in the pen, one of them being Montgomery. McClendon said before the game there was a good chance he would stay away from Carson Smith as well.

• The rotation for the series with Houston will be Nuno on Monday, Roenis Elias on Tuesday and Walker on Wednesday.

• Kyle Seager has a chance to make Mariners history tonight. He’s put up three straight 20-home run seasons and hit his 19th of the year last night. No Mariners third baseman has ever had four consecutive 20-homer years.

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