Tue Jul 1 01:37:57 2008

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Seattle P Hernandez sent to DL

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Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez was sent to the 15-day disabled list following Monday's 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hernandez was helped off the field with a sprained left ankle in the fifth inning of the previous Monday's 5-2 win over the New York Mets, and he hasn't pitched since.

That was shaping up to be a banner night for Hernandez, who clubbed his first major league homer, a grand slam off Johan Santana in the second inning. It marked the first home run by a pitcher in Mariners history, and the first grand slam by an American League pitcher since Cleveland's Steve Dunning did it versus Oakland's Diego Segui on May 11, 1971.

However, Hernandez was injured when he tried to cover home plate on a wild pitch later in the game, when Carlos Beltran slid into Hernandez's ankle.

Hernandez has a record of 6-5 with a 2.83 ERA this season.

The Mariners replaced Hernandez on the roster by recalling left-handed pitcher Cesar Jimenez from Triple-A Tacoma.

Because of the injury, the Mariners will turn to reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith to start Tuesday's game versus the Blue Jays. It will be Rowland-Smith's first career start in the majors.