Felix Hernandez heading back to Seattle to have shoulder examined

According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Mariners ace Felix Hernandez will head back to Seattle to have his right throwing shoulder examined following his Tuesday start against the Tigers that saw Hernandez get the loss and fall to 2-2 on the year.

Manager Scott Servais described it as “dead arm” after the defeat, and Divish added that Hernandez stormed out of the visitor’s clubhouse “quickly” and was “visibly upset.” Hernandez was clobbered for six hits and four earned runs in just two inning of work, and the Tigers bludgeoned the Mariners by a final score of 19-9.

Soon-to-be 32-year-old Hernandez’s ERA has ballooned to 4.73 for the young season, and his strikeout rate remains well below his career average. Hernandez also surrendered another home run on Tuesday, making it six given up through five starts. He allowed 12 hits to the Marlins in 6.1 innings in his previous start.

It sounds like Hernandez could possibly skip his next start and maybe require a stint on the 10-day disabled list. The Mariners are already without lefty starter Drew Smyly, who landed on the 60-day DL earlier this month with an elbow issue.