MIAMI (Ticker) -- After declaring the comeback season of pitcher Alex Fernandez a success, the Florida Marlins decided to shut him down for the rest of the year.

Fernandez earned his seventh win of the season in Saturday's 6-4 win over the San Diego Padres. He yielded just one hit -- a solo homer to rookie Ben Davis in the fifth -- through the first seven innings before he ran into trouble in the eighth when the Padres scored three runs. Fernandez also hit his third homer of the year to set a club record for pitchers.

"Alex has accomplished quite a bit in his comeback this year and our team doctors feel it's best he rest his shoulder," said Marlins manager John Boles. "He's had soreness after every start which is normal from what the doctors tell us about this type of rehabilitation process. We want Alex to be ready to go for next year."

After missing the entire 1998 season while recovering from a torn rotator cuff, Fernandez went 7-8 with a 3.38 ERA in 24 starts this season. He pitched 141 innings and allowed 135 hits with 91 strikeouts and 41 walks. Fernandez spent two stints on the disabled list this season due to inflammation in his shoulder and a pulled groin.

Fernandez, who is in the third year of a five-year, $35 million contract, underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff on October 29, 1997.

A University of Miami product, Fernandez had never been on the DL prior to tearing his rotator cuff in the 1997 playoffs, pitching at least 200 innings four times in a five-year span.

Fernandez signed with the Marlins before their World Series-winning 1997 season and was the only high-priced player to survive the ensuing purge. The injury allowed Florida to pay the balance of his contract via insurance last season.

He went 17-12 with five complete games and a 3.59 ERA in 33 appearances during the 1997 campaign and was the winner in Florida's Division Series-clinching win at San Francisco.

Fernandez played the first seven years of his career with the Chicago White Sox, going 79-63 record with 27 complete games and a 3.78 ERA. He was 57-34 with a 3.52 ERA in his final four seasons in the American League.