Notebook | Don Wakamatsu says Adrian Beltre could be back in about a month

CLEVELAND — Manager Don Wakamatsu gave a pretty optimistic appraisal of Adrian Beltre's possible return, saying he was "a month or so away."

"Everything is going well. Last year, he had part of the collar bone removed, so it was much more invasive," said Wakamatsu of Beltre, who is in Cleveland rehabbing with the team. "This year, with the bone spur, he's progressing much faster."

Notes

• Felix Hernandez had a hip turn during the All-Star Game. It was similar to Erik Bedard, even reminiscent of the way Luis Tiant used to pitch.

"He's done that at different times," Wakamatsu said. "Early in the year, we were more concerned about it because he would turn and leak down the hill. Now he turns and comes back and is back and squared up — that's fine if we're talking about Luis Tiant. His ability to get back square before he goes down the hill — it's not problematic. It's when you try to combine them all is where you get in trouble. It's been more prevalent in his last three outings."

Is it fair for someone as talented as Hernandez to add deception to his repertoire?

"I don't mind it," he said with a smile. "Again, it's nice to see a player have that comfort level. It takes a lot of athleticism and a lot of ability to be able to control the body to do those kind of things."

• Wakamatsu on meeting President Obama at the All-Star Game: "It was a great, great experience. He's the third president I've met. And I pinch myself getting to stand in the same room as three of the presidents. It was awfully special. They did the National League and then he came over to the American League. One thing I regret is not getting a baseball signed by him. The CIA told everybody no pictures and no balls. But by the time he got around to Ichiro and Nellie [Nelson] Cruz, they said heck with it and they got an autograph. You kind of wished you were at the end of the line."

Ichiro had said he was going to petition Wakamatsu to allow jeans on team flights because Obama was wearing jeans.

"We flew out from St. Louis to here and I reminded him that's not going to happen. I told him when you can become president you can wear jeans."

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com

For the record

Streak: L1

Home: 25-18

Road: 21-25

v. AL West: 16-15

vs. L.A.: 7-6

vs. Oakland: 6-3

vs. Texas: 3-6

vs. AL East: 12-9

vs. AL Cent.: 7-12

vs. NL: 11-7

vs. LHP: 14-12

vs. RHP: 32-31

Day: 17-13

Night: 29-30

One-run: 21-13

Extra inn.: 5-4