Mariners hoping innings don't catch up to Hernandez early
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE
SEATTLE -- It's become somewhat common fuel for conversation this time of year to wonder when star pitcher Felix Hernandez might finally hit a wall. The 29-year-old starter has thrown more than 2,200 innings over 11 seasons and seems to fade down the stretch annually.
The questions were out there again after back-to-back starts that saw him give up 21 hits and 13 runs heading into Wednesday afternoon. They might have even gotten louder after Oakland leadoff hitter Billy Burns smacked his first pitch of Wednesday's game over the center-field fence to put the Mariners into an early 1-0 hole.
But after that, Hernandez went back to being the pitcher that he's been for most of his career. He allowed just three hits and two runs -- both coming on solo homers -- over eight innings to snap a two-start losing streak.
"It feels good," Hernandez said. "I came back real good, and I'm happy with the victory."
Because Father Time is undefeated, age will eventually catch up with Hernandez . He doesn't turn 30 until next April, so his chronological age isn't necessarily a concern, but Hernandez does have seven consecutive 200-inning seasons under his belt and is 33 innings away from hitting that mark again this year.
The signs seemed to be pointing toward a decline in that Hernandez has already allowed seven or more runs in three different games this season, matching the total of his previous three years combined. His 3.66 ERA through Wednesday's game puts him on pace for his highest season-ending mark since 2007 (3.92).
"He's human," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said after Wednesday's outing. "When you have a guy that's great, the first thing people want to think (when he struggles) is: there's something wrong. That's not always the case. The game is hard, even for the great ones."
Of course, there were similar concerns last season, when Hernandez began to wear down in August and endured one of his worst outings in a huge game at Toronto late in the year. But Hernandez bounced back to give Seattle a chance in its biggest game in more than a decade: a season-ending win over the Angels that became meaningless five innings into the game because the A's had already clinched the final wild-card spot.
Hernandez probably won't get to pitch in any big games this season, but the Mariners are hoping he has a few in him when he gets into his 30s. He may have shown some signs of decline, but Wednesday served as a reminder that Hernandez is still among the best in the game.
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE
SEATTLE -- It's become somewhat common fuel for conversation this time of year to wonder when star pitcher Felix Hernandez might finally hit a wall. The 29-year-old starter has thrown more than 2,200 innings over 11 seasons and seems to fade down the stretch annually.
The questions were out there again after back-to-back starts that saw him give up 21 hits and 13 runs heading into Wednesday afternoon. They might have even gotten louder after Oakland leadoff hitter Billy Burns smacked his first pitch of Wednesday's game over the center-field fence to put the Mariners into an early 1-0 hole.
But after that, Hernandez went back to being the pitcher that he's been for most of his career. He allowed just three hits and two runs -- both coming on solo homers -- over eight innings to snap a two-start losing streak.
"It feels good," Hernandez said. "I came back real good, and I'm happy with the victory."
Because Father Time is undefeated, age will eventually catch up with Hernandez . He doesn't turn 30 until next April, so his chronological age isn't necessarily a concern, but Hernandez does have seven consecutive 200-inning seasons under his belt and is 33 innings away from hitting that mark again this year.
The signs seemed to be pointing toward a decline in that Hernandez has already allowed seven or more runs in three different games this season, matching the total of his previous three years combined. His 3.66 ERA through Wednesday's game puts him on pace for his highest season-ending mark since 2007 (3.92).
"He's human," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said after Wednesday's outing. "When you have a guy that's great, the first thing people want to think (when he struggles) is: there's something wrong. That's not always the case. The game is hard, even for the great ones."
Of course, there were similar concerns last season, when Hernandez began to wear down in August and endured one of his worst outings in a huge game at Toronto late in the year. But Hernandez bounced back to give Seattle a chance in its biggest game in more than a decade: a season-ending win over the Angels that became meaningless five innings into the game because the A's had already clinched the final wild-card spot.
Hernandez probably won't get to pitch in any big games this season, but the Mariners are hoping he has a few in him when he gets into his 30s. He may have shown some signs of decline, but Wednesday served as a reminder that Hernandez is still among the best in the game.
