For many longtime Mariners faithful, Felix Hernandez's gem Tuesday supplanted Ken Cloude's major-league debut as the best initial home start they ever saw in Seattle.

On Aug. 9, 1997, eight years earlier to the day, Cloude came up and started against the White Sox and threw a perfect game for five innings. He lost his perfecto on a 3-2 walk in the sixth, but took a no-hitter into the seventh, when he gave up two hits, including a bunt single by, of all non-bunters, Albert Belle.

Paul Spoljaric relieved with the bases loaded and no outs and gave up a two-run double to lefty hitter Robin Ventura, a walk to Mike Cameron and a run-scoring double play. So Cloude, after his fab start, wound up with three runs allowed and a 5-2 loss.

Cloude, a right-hander from Baltimore who kept a Little League baseball card of his deceased brother in his hat, never pitched that well again. After a series of injuries, he was gone from Seattle in 1999 and out of the organization two years after that.

Mark your calendar

Those fans who missed Hernandez's memorable home start will have ample opportunity to make up for their mistake. With the club expected to stay in a five-man rotation the rest of the season, Hernandez is scheduled to make 10 more starts, six of them at Safeco Field — including the last game of the year, Oct. 2 against Oakland.

Manager Mike Hargrove said that the plan is to keep the starters in a five-man rotation, even with three off days left. And while Hargrove spoke of nine starts left to Hernandez, the schedule counts out to 10 remaining starts for the big right-hander.

If Hernandez works every fifth game as expected, his starts would be: Monday vs. Kansas City; Aug. 20 at Minnesota; Aug. 26 vs. Chicago; Aug. 31 vs. New York; Sept. 5 at Oakland; Sept. 11 vs. Baltimore; Sept. 16 at Texas; Sept. 21 at Toronto; Sept. 27 vs. Texas; Oct 2 vs. Oakland.

Bummed-out Beltre

For a long while and then a tortuous while, Adrian Beltre was as much a part of the story of Tuesday's game with the Twins as was Hernandez.

"Two strikes on Stewart, I was playing back and when he hit the ball slow, there was his speed to consider, too," the Seattle third baseman said. "I had one chance, to barehand the ball. I didn't think it was all worth the risk. ... Then for a time I was thinking the way Hernandez was pitching, 'What if they don't get any more ... maybe I cost him big time.' "

But the Twins opened the fifth with their second and third hits, and Beltre helped Hernandez by taking his bullet throw for a force at third on a bunt try. "I felt it," Beltre said. "My only worry was that he didn't throw me a sinker. He threw hard, but a good fastball."

However, two batters later Beltre wound up putting the young pitcher in jeopardy when he second-guessed himself in the midst of playing a grounder by Terry Tiffee, first moving in to tag Jacque Jones heading for third, then pulling up and throwing to first — high for an error that left the bases loaded.

"What a bad feeling that was, knowing that I had put Hernandez in a tough spot after he had pitched so good," he said.

Beltre first went for Jones, who saw him coming and sped up. "When he went faster I thought I might not get him," said Beltre, who still had time to make a throw to first on Tiffee. "I had a play, I just rushed it. Maybe I thought [first baseman Richie] Sexson was taller.

"No, really, I was dying out there. No one wants to make an error to hurt a pitcher in a great game, and I had put Hernandez in trouble."

Hernandez had no different a reaction than if Beltre had just saved him with great defense. The kid went to work on the next hitter, Jason Bartlett, and got him to hit back to the mound to end the inning.

"He picked me up, and that made me feel great," Beltre said. "When I ran past him going back to the dugout, I tapped him on the arm to say thanks. I wanted him to know he had picked me up."

Notes

• Hargrove said there still is no announcement who will start Saturday against Anaheim. It is expected that Ryan Franklin will get to go, in his return from a 10-game suspension for violating baseball's substance abuse policy.

• Bucky Jacobsen, who this time last year was winning fans' hearts here, is now DH at Inland Empire as he continues his return from repeated knee troubles.