Hernandez, Trout to face off in Angels-Mariners matchup (Apr 08, 2017)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez is recognized as one of the game's best pitchers.

Hernandez has a Cy Young Award and finished second twice, and he's a six-time All-Star.

But when Hernandez takes the mound Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels, there is one hitter who has a history of making Hernandez look like a Little Leaguer.

Angels center fielder Mike Trout has treated many pitchers badly, but against Hernandez it has been ridiculous. His seven career homers against Hernandez are more than double any other pitcher in the majors except for one -- he's gotten Texas' Yu Darvish four times.

Overall, Trout is hitting .382 (29-for-76) with the seven homers, 19 RBI, a .763 slugging percentage and a 1.187 OPS.

"Mike has had success off a lot of pitchers," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times last year. "But to have success off of someone in Felix's class says a lot about a player."

Trouts says he doesn't have any secret against Hernandez. Hernandez isn't tipping pitches, it's just a basic, fundamental approach.

"He throws all of his pitches for strikes at any time and in any count," Trout told the Times. "You have to get a pitch to hit and hit it. If you miss your pitch, he puts you in a hole."

On the flip side, Hernandez has pretty much owned Angels DH Albert Pujols. Pujols is hitting .177 (11-for-62) with one homer and seven RBI. In all, Hernandez is 16-16 with a 3.34 ERA in 50 career starts against the Angels.

He'll be opposing Angels right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who lost his Opening Day start last Monday in Oakland. Nolasco is 1-4 with a 4.60 ERA in five career starts against the Mariners, and he has had trouble against some of the Mariners' big hitters.

Second baseman Robinson Cano is hitting .500 (6-for-12) against Nolasco, and DH Nelson Cruz has three home runs off him in 15 at-bats.

Nolasco has had a bit of a career turnaround since he joined the Angels last season after a trade-deadline deal from the Twins. Nolasco had a 5.13 ERA in 21 starts for Minnesota last year but a 3.21 ERA in 11 starts for the Angels.

A big reason for the improvement is a result of pitching coach Charles Nagy convincing Nolasco to trust his sinker and throw it more often.

"It's something they wanted me to do when I got here, and it paid off obviously," Nolasco told MLB.com this spring. "It's an adjustment I made and will continue to make and getting better."

The Angels are hoping Nolasco can return to the form that helped him average 12.8 wins a season from 2008 to 2013 with the Marlins and Dodgers. Nolasco, 34, is making $12 million this season, the final year of his contract (the Angels have a club option for 2018).