PEORIA, Ariz. -- Félix Hernández has started 10 consecutive Opening Days for the Mariners, and it’s uncertain if that streak will continue this year.

Whatever happens, he still has a chance to be an “Opening Day pitcher” in some form.

The Mariners open the season against the A’s in Japan for two games starting March 20. Their home opener is March 28 against the Red Sox, and their first road game stateside is against the White Sox on April 4, which happens to be Chicago’s home opener.

“I like to throw Opening Day. It’s fun,” Hernandez said. “But we’ll see what’s going to happen. I don’t know.”

In his second Cactus League start during the Mariners' 8-3 win over the White Sox on Thursday, Hernandez retired the first three hitters he faced, including a strikeout of third baseman Yoan Moncada on three pitches. He gave up a single to Nicky Delmonico to start the second and then hit the next batter, James McCann. Yolmer Sanchez and Tim Anderson followed with back-to-back singles to tie the game at 1.

The White Sox then pulled ahead, 2-1, on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Cordell. Hernandez struck out Jon Jay and Moncada, for the second time, to end the inning. Hernandez retired the side in order in his third and final inning.

“If you put everything together, it was a decent job. I’m pretty happy with it,” Hernandez said. “I was throwing everything, man. I was throwing good curveballs, good sinkers, a few changeups, pretty good sliders. Everything.”

In his previous outing, the veteran allowed four runs on four hits and struck out one over 1 1/3 innings against the Padres.

“I feel healthy for sure,” he said. “I feel 100 percent.”

"Felix Hernandez was actually OK," manager Scott Servais said. "The curveball was pretty good, and he got his work in. He had a little trouble in the second inning, but got through it."

Young prospects to get look in ‘B’ game

Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, the Mariners' highly regarded teenage outfield prospects, will be called over from Minor League camp to play in Friday morning’s "B" game against the NC Dinos, a professional team from South Korea that is training this spring in Arizona. Rodriguez made his Cactus League debut with a single in the bottom of the eighth on Thursday.

Kelenic, 19, is Seattle’s No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline after being acquired from the Mets in the Robinson Cano-Edwin Diaz deal on Dec. 3. Rodriguez, 18, is the club’s top international prospect and is ranked No. 5. Both are expected to open the season with Class A West Virginia.

Veteran lefty Wade LeBlanc will get the start for Seattle in his second game of the spring, which will allow top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield to make his first Cactus League start in Friday’s 12:10 p.m. PT game against the Brewers at Peoria Stadium.

Healy and White dealing with minor issues

First basemen were in shorter supply Thursday for the Mariners as Ryon Healy, Evan White and Joey Curletta were all sidelined by minor health issues. Veteran designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion made his first start at first base this spring against the White Sox.

Healy and White were both held out of the game to rest tight hamstrings, while Curletta has yet to play this spring due to a sore oblique muscle.

Healy tweaked his hamstring during Wednesday’s workout and was scratched from that afternoon’s game. He was feeling better and did some hitting on Thursday and likely will return to the lineup on Friday.

White, the club’s No. 4 prospect, has a hamstring that is “barking a little bit as well,” according to Servais, but he also is expected back on Friday.

“They’re kind of freak things,” Servais said. “Ryon slipped and Evan hit the ball the other day off the top of the wall. I think he thought it was going out and when it didn’t, he tried to kick it into gear. Sometimes that’s when that happens. Whether that happened the first day of spring or middle of June, stuff happens.”

Up next

Sheffield starts on MLB.TV after pitching two scoreless innings in relief on Sunday against the Rockies. Veteran starter Tommy Milone, in camp on a Minor League deal, will pitch in relief as well as bullpen candidates Shawn Armstrong, Cory Gearrin and Nick Rumbelow.