Mariners News: Felix Hernandez Scratched from Start due to “Illness”

Felix Hernandez was all set to etch his name in Mariners history on Friday night in Anaheim, but instead he was scratched from his start at the last minute.

Today was supposed to be a very special day for Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners, as the King was set to surpass Randy Johnson for the most strikeouts in club history. However, Friday has instead turned into a very nerve-racking day for M’s fans. King Felix was scratched from tonight’s start due to “illness”.

Mariners’ manager Scott Servais met with the media this afternoon, and obviously Felix’s illness was on everybody’s minds. Servais suggested that Hernandez had flu-like symptoms last night, and the medical staff recommended he skip his scheduled start today. However, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times did tweet out that Hernandez is tentatively expected to start tomorrow night against the Angels.

Only in baseball do people hope “illness” actually means illness. Far too often a pitcher is scratched at the last minute and the management masks the real issue with a catch all phrase. However, based on the fact Hernandez is set to pitch tomorrow night, I’d say he is just dealing with the flu.

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King Felix is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA through 3 starts in 2016, but he has been far from his typically dominant self. Hernandez’s velocity is way down, and his command has been spotty at best. He has struck out 20 and issued an American Legaue worst, 13 free passes in 18 innings. The 30-year-old right-hander has been throwing a lot of off speed pitches to compensate for his pedestrian 89 mph fastball.

The Venezuelan native also had a rough season with Seattle in 2015. Hernandez went 18-9, but his 3.53 ERA was his worst mark since the 2007 season. He saw a decrease in strikeouts and posted his highest walk tally since 2011. Felix still posted decent numbers, but they were a notch below what we are used to seeing.

Next: Mariners Bullpen Getting Job Done

For the first time in nearly a decade, Felix Hernandez has not been the Mariners’ best pitcher this season. That distinction belongs to Taijuan Walker, who is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA across 3 outings. I’m still hopeful King Felix can regain his All-Star form, but I’m not sure he will ever be the same guy we saw in 2014.