34 Felix Hernandez SP

Hernandez (8-8) allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out seven across five innings to take the loss Saturday against the White Sox.

Hernandez's first start since July 6 got off to a good start, as he pitched three hitless innings before unraveling to allow all four of his runs in the fourth inning. The big blow came on three-run homer by Avisail Garcia, which marked the fourth consecutive start that Hernandez has allowed a home run. Despite the disappointing inning, he tied his season high with seven strikeouts and induced 13 swinging strikes on 80 pitches. His velocity was not notably different than his season-long marks, so his swing-and-miss stuff may have been the result of a matchup against the poor White Sox lineup.

Hernandez (back) was activated off the 10-day disabled list ahead of Saturday's game against the White Sox, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez played catch last Saturday and apparently avoided any issues throughout the weeks as he is set to take the mound against the White Sox on Saturday. The 32-year-old and the Mariners took advantage of the as Hernandez missed one start while spending almost two weeks on the disabled list with lower-back stiffness.

Hernandez (back) played catch without issue Saturday and remains on target to make his next scheduled start Saturday against the White Sox, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez is fortunate that his injury came along just prior to the All-Star break, as it will apparently allow him to only miss one start. Naturally, that will require that he remain free of setbacks during the coming week, but the right-hander appears to be on the right track thus far. If he's able to return against Chicago next Saturday, he'll look to begin rebounding from an uneven first half in which he generated a 5.13 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 105.2 innings over 19 starts.

Hernandez (back) is set to resume throwing Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Hernandez found himself on the disabled list after dealing with a back issue over his past few starts. Although the injury doesn't appear to be overly serious, it's good to see he's been able to work out, and that he'll start to throw prior to the All-Star break. Hernandez is expected to be ready for the second half of the season.

Hernandez was placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to July 8 with lower-back stiffness, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The back has apparently been an issue in his most recent starts, and his performance has suffered as a result. Seattle will give Hernandez some extra time to rest, presumably with the hope that he can be ready to roll early on in the second half. A replacement in the Mariners' rotation was not immediately named, but Johns suggests it could be Roenis Elias if the team decides against promoting a starter from the minors.