Felix Hernandez only lasted 3 2/3 innings last night, but he left the game healthy:

The ace is back. Hernandez wasn't sharp Tuesday night, but there's time for that. All that mattered was that he threw 78 pitches without causing trainer Rick Griffin to hyperventilate. The strained muscle in Hernandez's right forearm appears to be healed.

After an un-Felix-like showing, Hernandez flashed a Felix-like grin.

"You guys need me?" he asked, smiling at reporters in the clubhouse afterward. "Yeah? Let me get dressed."

Of Hernandez's 78 pitches, only 45 were strikes. He walked three batters. He allowed seven hits, many of them lucky ones on weakly hit balls. He gave up three earned runs.

It was the kind of uneven performance you'd expect from a guy who missed a month. The Mariners chose not to send Hernandez to the minors for a rehab start; they had him pitch a simulated game instead. So he hadn't competed like this in quite a while.

So his effort was promising, if not perfect. His fastball maxed out at 96 mph, just a little off his normal velocity. In his next start, you can expect something closer to the real King Felix to return.

I saw a little of the game before bed last night. In the third inning, when he allowed the first run, he walked a batter with two out, then gave up three infield hits. Just bad luck there, but it forced his pitch count up. The Mariners came up with six runs in the bottom of the inning, however, to make the rest of the game moot. There was no reason to push Felix after that, so when he got in trouble in the fourth, they went to the bullpen. The Mariners took the game 11-3, and now trail the Angels by one game in the AL West.