The good King or the bad King?That is the question for the Seattle Mariners and those in attendance Thursday night at Safeco Field for the opener of a four-game series with the
Boston Red Sox.Will they get to see the Felix Hernandez who went a season-high eight innings in his last home start against Tampa Bay
Josh Gordon Jersey , giving up just one run on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts?Or will it be the King Felix who lasted just three innings on the road Saturday against those same Rays, getting tagged for six runs (five earned) on
seven hits to a team that had lost eight straight games?“He threw the ball very well and got very good results the last time out (at home),” Mariners manager Scott Servais said after Saturday’s 7-3 loss. “But the
key in this league is being consistent and going out there every start and
giving your team a chance to win. And we were behind the eight ball after the
third inning. I just want to see consistency and giving us a chance to win. And
he does, too.“Felix’s stuff wasn’t as good (Sunday). It was evident right from the get-go. The life on the fastball really wasn’t there. It’s not all about velocity. It’s
about locating it. And that wasn’t really on either.”Hardly a ringing endorsement for a six-time All-Star and the American League’s 2010 Cy Young Award winner.King Felix is 6-5 this season with a career-worst 5.70 ERA. He has given up four or more runs in five of his past seven starts.“I was making some good pitches and they had some hits that found some holes and there’s nothing I could do about that,” Hernandez said in his own defense
Saturday. “I think I had pretty good stuff, they just put a lot of balls in
play
Dre Kirkpatrick Jersey , just a little bit of tough luck. I was a little bit up, but I think I was making good pitches.”Maybe catcher Mike Zunino put it best, telling The Seattle Times: “There’s been games where his velocity may not have been that high, but if he locates he
can get away with stuff.”Opposing pitchers haven’t gotten away with much against the Red Sox, who lead the American League East.Outfielder Mookie Betts, who returned Monday from a stint on the 10-day disabled list with a left abdominal strain
Yannick Ngakoue Jersey , leads the league with a .352 batting average and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.171. Teammate J.D. Martinez is second
to the Los Angeles Angels‘ Mike Trout with 22 homers and is third in the league,
behind Betts and Trout, with a 1.033 OPS.Betts hit his first home run since coming off the disabled list Wednesday in a 5-1 victory that gave the Red Sox a sweep of Baltimore.“I’ve done everything that I pretty much do, and I passed the test,” said Betts, who didn’t have the benefit of a minor league rehabilitation assignment.
“Just trying to ride this wave.”Hernandez is 8-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 19 career starts against Boston.The Red Sox will counter with left-hander David Price (7-4
Gary Zimmerman Jersey , 4.00 ERA), who is 5-0 in his past six starts overall.Price is 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA in seven career starts against Seattle.The New York Jets have re-signed tackle Ben Ijalana, who has been a backup with the
team.
Ijalana has been a versatile offensive lineman since the Jets signed him off waivers from Indianapolis at the start of the 2013 season. He played in only
three games from 2013-15, then was needed more in 2016, playing in all 16 games
for the first time as a pro and starting 13. The first five starts came at right
tackle and the last eight at left tackle.Ijalana didn’t play as much last season, getting in 11 games and 56 offensive snaps Christian McCaffrey Jersey , plus 42 more on special teams. His most extensive participation came with 41 snaps in the season finale at New
England.He was the Colts’ second-round pick (49th overall) in the 2011 draft.— Troy Brown Jr. Jersey
