Last week Felix Hernandez had his start delayed due to what the Mariners were calling a lower back cramp, but it turns out it was actually an oblique injury and now he’ll miss the rescheduled start too.
Hernandez was supposed to pitch Wednesday against the Astros, but Brandon Maurer will take his place after a weekend throwing session didn’t go well.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge told Greg Johns of MLB.com that Hernandez’s injury is “a minor oblique strain” but oblique strains tend to linger a whole lot longer than initial estimates and with the team out of contention there’s no real motivation to rush him back.
Hernandez has been his usual excellent self this season, throwing 194 innings with a 3.01 ERA and 200 strikeouts, but also like usual the Mariners haven’t provided him with much run support on the way to a 12-9 record.