Mariners notebook: Will Felix be healthy for his next start?

LOS ANGELES – Felix Hernandez reported today that the ankle he tweaked in Oakland on Sunday is fine, but he is still feeling something in his quad.

Regardless, he expects to make his next start on Saturday at home vs. Texas. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen Wednesday but said he will throw a flat ground session instead. This is completely normal for Felix who prefers to throw flat ground sessions between starts rather than from the mound.

If there is any hesitancy coming out of the throwing session tomorrow, Felix could be pushed back in the rotation a bit thanks to an off-day for the M’s on Thursday.

Lineup

Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon is going about as right-handed as he can against lefty pitcher David Huff tonight for Game 2 of the three-game series with the Dodgers.

Austin Jackson is back in the lineup after his near day off – he was part of a double switch late in the game Monday – while Willie Bloomquist is making his first start of the season at first base. He played a few innings there this spring and has played 28 games there in his big league career.

Something that has jumped out at me in the early days of this season is Logan Morrison has either taken steps forward with his defense at first or he is better than what we thought. He has made some tough plays there and certainly handled the routine ones. Bloomquist can handle the position but I would say that they are sacrificing a bit of defense tonight to get the right-handed bat in there and give Morrison a day off.

Notes

• Hisashi Iwakuma has yet to give up a run in an interleague road start. He’s pitched 22 scoreless innings as a starter in National League parks.

• The Mariners are going for a club record they would prefer not to set tonight. They have played three straight extra-inning road games in three days. The last time they did that was in 1986; they have never played four straight extra-inning road games in consecutive days.

• Nelson Cruz has hit home runs in three straight games. His personal record is four, which he did in 2011 while with the Rangers.

• From the minor league report: A number of Rainiers are off to good starts with the bats. 3B Carlos Rivero is 9×19 (.474) with seven runs scored, a double, two home runs and six RBIs. OF Franklin Gutierrez has hit safely in all four games, putting up a .421 average with a double, home run and four RBI. OF Stefen Romero is off to a 8×25 start with two doubles and a triple. SS Chris Taylor, who started the season on a rehab assignment with the Rainiers, has played in three games and gone 3×11 with a double and three RBIs.

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