Hisashi Iwakuma will make his first major-league start Monday against the Baltimore Orioles at Safeco Field, Mariners manager Eric Wedge announced before Friday's game.

Iwakuma will replace Kevin Millwood in the rotation. Millwood left Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics after 2-2/3 innings with a groin injury. Wedge said the Mariners will likely push Millwood's next start back until next weekend.

"I didn't want to put him on the DL because you just don't want him to go that long without pitching," Wedge said. "He's been throwing the ball pretty good, and I don't want him to go that long without pitching and lose that feel with the All-Star break coming too."

In 14 appearances, Iwakuma is 1-1 with a 4.75 earned-run average.

Iwakuma, 31, spent 11 seasons in the Japanese league before he signed a deal with the Mariners. The starter struggled in spring training with a 4.32 ERA in 8-1/3 innings and started the season out of the bullpen.

He wasn't available out of the bullpen Friday.

Meanwhile, the Mariners recalled Steve Delabar from Class AAA Tacoma and placed Franklin Gutierrez on the seven-day disabled list. Gutierrez left Thursday's game in the fourth inning with a mild concussion after being hit in the face by a ball on a pickoff attempt.

"It was kind of a fluke thing but he's been on the south side of quite a few fluke things within the past couple years," Wedge said. "I feel bad for him. He's been playing well."

Gutierrez had nine runs batted in during the 13 games he has played. He's batting .267 with a .444 slugging percentage this season.

Note

• Feliz Hernandez's 13 strikeouts in Thursday's 1-0 win marked the 30th time a pitcher recorded at least 13 strikeouts in club history.

Hernandez is the third pitcher, along with Randy Johnson and Mark Langston, to chalk up 13 strikeouts in a game at least three times in franchise history and the first right-hander to do it.