Danny Hultzen, the Seattle Mariners’ top pick (No. 2 overall) in last week’s major league draft, looked nothing like a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher of the year.

It didn’t matter because Hultzen got plenty of help from his University of Virginia teammates.

Hultzen and Cody Winiarski combined on a four-hitter, and Jared King hit a three-run home run to break open a close game Saturday, helping the top-ranked Cavaliers stretch their winning streak to eight games with a 6-0 victory against UC Irvine in the opener at the Charlottesville (Va.) Super Regional.

“It was just one of those days,” Hultzen (12-3) said after an outing interrupted by a lightning delay of 1 hour, 23 minutes. “I guess I didn’t have it, but it’s my job to just give the team a chance to win. It’s not my job necessarily to throw a shutout or throw a no-hitter.”

The left-hander pitched 5 innings, allowing three hits with three strikeouts and three walks. He wasn’t sharp early in his first game since the Seattle Mariners selected him Monday, but benefited from two double plays in the first three innings.

“That was awesome,” he said. “Going out there not feeling great and not having the best stuff, getting those double plays, getting two outs on one pitch, was crucial.”

In other Super Regionals, Vanderbilt advanced to the College World Series as Aaron Westlake hit three two-run home runs to beat Oregon State, 9-3, for a two-game sweep. The Commodores will be joined in Omaha, Neb., by North Carolina, which swept its series with Stanford by winning, 7-5, on Saturday.

AGGIES RULE, AGAIN

Texas A&M won both the men’s and women’s 1,600-meter relays to become the first school with three straight men’s and women’s team titles at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

Men’s anchor Tabarie Henry held off LSU’s Riker Hylton in the 1,600 relay to clinch the victory in 3 minutes, 0.62 seconds. The A&M men finished with 55 points – one better than Florida State and two ahead of Florida. Jessica Beard anchored the women’s foursome with a meet-record split of 49:14 seconds that gave the A&M women the win and the team crown over Oregon, 49-45.

UW LANDS RECRUIT

Signing another frontcourt player was a top offseason priority for Washington men’s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar, and on Saturday he announced that 6-foot-9 forward Martin Bruenig will join his team for the 2011-12 season.

Bruenig is from Germany, where he played in the Nachwuchs Basketball Bundesliga, averaging 14.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocked shots and 2.3 assists. He also represented his country in the 2010 under-18 FIBA European Championships, averaging 8.7 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.

He came to the United States in 2010 and spent the 2010-11 school year playing for St. John’s Northwest Military Academy in Delarield, Wis.

Bruenig originally signed with Maryland but was granted a release from his letter of intent after Terrins coach Gary Williams retired.

He joins a five-man incoming class along with Andrew Andrews, Jernard Jarreau, Hikeem Stewart and Tony Wroten. He also becomes the fourth Husky in the last 30 years from Germany, joining Detlef Schrempf (1982-85), Chris Welp (1984-87) and Patrick Femerling (1996-98).

Don Ruiz, staff writer

ELSEWHERE

UW sophomore golfer Chris Williams won his crucial final-round singles match – 3 and 2 over Sweden’s Henrik Norlander – to help the United States defeat Europe, 13-11, and win the 2011 Palmer Cup in Greenwich, Conn. … Royce Woolridge, son of former NBA and Notre Dame star Orlando Woolridge, has transferred to Washington State from Kansas, where he saw limited action on the basketball court for the Jayhawks last season. NCAA rules specify the 6-foot-3 guard must to sit out a year before playing at WSU.

DETROIT () — Max Scherzer found his form after three rocky starts, Austin Jackson tripled twice and the Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 on Saturday night.

Victor Martinez had three hits and two RBIs and Jhonny Peralta homered for the Tigers, who moved within one percentage point of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central after being as many as eight games behind in early May.

Scherzer (8-2) had struggled in his last three starts, but was back in charge against Seattle’s struggling offense. The right-hander allowed one run on four hits and two walks in seven innings to tie for the AL lead in wins.

Mariners rookie Michael Pineda (6-4) had the worst start of his brief career, giving up a career-high six runs — five earned — on eight hits and a walk in 5 1-3 innings.

The Mariners got their first hit on Mike Carp’s one-out single in the fifth, but ran themselves out of the inning on a pair of odd plays. Chone Figgins lined a ball off second baseman Ramon Santiago’s glove and into right, but Carp had retreated on the play and was forced out at second 4-9-6.

Greg Halman then hit a tper toward shortstop and Peralta didn’t bother throwing to first. Figgins, though, went too far around second and was erased in an inning-ending 6-4-1-6 rundown.

Meanwhile, the Tigers were teeing off on Pineda. They took a 2-0 lead in the first on Martinez’s RBI single and a throwing error by catcher Miguel Olivo, then added another run in the second when Jackson’s triple scored Santiago.

The Mariners got their only run in the sixth when slumping Ichiro Suzuki tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, but Peralta’s two-run homer keyed a three-run sixth.

Martinez had an RBI double in the seventh and Jackson scored in the eighth after his second triple of the game.

NOTES: Jackson and Tigers C Alex Avila have both had two-triple games in the last three days. … Scherzer had allowed 19 earned runs in his last three starts for an ERA of 12.51. … Suzuki had gotten a rare day off Friday and was 1 for 18 on Seattle’s current road trip before tripling and singling in his final two at-bats.

Even though Max Scherzer went into Saturday night’s start with a stellar record, he was struggling.

In his previous three outings Scherzer had given up 19 runs for a 12.51 ERA, but managed to go 1-1 in the process.

Last season, a similar slump ended with Scherzer being sent to Triple-A Toledo. This time, the punchless Seattle Mariners might have helped him fix his problems.

Scherzer didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning of Detroit’s 8-1 win, and finished by giving up one run on four hits and two walks in seven innings. He is now tied for the AL lead in wins.

“I really just executed better pitches,” Scherzer said. “I was able to keep my slider down in the zone, my fastball down in the zone and a couple balls they hit hard found gloves.”

Scherzer also got plenty of help from the offense. Austin Jackson tripled twice, Victor Martinez had three hits and two RBIs and Jhonny Peralta homered for the Tigers.

“I thought we played well,” manager Jim Leyland said. “Scherzer was much, much better obviously, and we got some big hits against a good young pitcher.”

Detroit moved within one percentage point of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central after being as many as eight games behind in early May.

“It feels good, but we’ve got 100 games left,” Scherzer said. “A lot of things can still hpen, but you have to love the talent on this team. We’re in a real good position, and we are definitely coming on strong.”

Mariners rookie Michael Pineda (6-4) had the worst start of his brief career, giving up a career-high six runs — five earned — on eight hits and a walk in 5 1-3 innings.

“When you are looking at a starting pitcher, what you really need to see is how they will react when they don’t have their best stuff,” manager Eric Wedge said. “Michael really battled back tonight, and he was better after the first couple innings. They just got him again in the end.”

The Mariners got their first hit on Mike Carp’s one-out single in the fifth, but ran themselves out of the inning on a pair of odd plays. Chone Figgins lined a ball off second baseman Ramon Santiago’s glove and into right, but Carp had retreated on the play and was forced out at second 4-9-6.

Greg Halman then hit a tper toward shortstop and Peralta didn’t bother throwing to first. Figgins, though, went too far around second and was erased in an inning-ending 6-4-1-6 rundown.

“Those plays were huge — (Brennan) Boesch being able to throw the guy out at second and then Jhonny catching Figgins off second,” Scherzer said.

Meanwhile, the Tigers were teeing off on Pineda. They took a 2-0 lead in the first on Martinez’s RBI single and a throwing error by catcher Miguel Olivo, then added another run in the second when Jackson’s triple scored Santiago.

The Mariners got their only run in the sixth when slumping Ichiro Suzuki tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, but Peralta’s two-run homer keyed a three-run sixth.

Martinez had an RBI double in the seventh and Jackson scored in the eighth after his second triple of the game.

NOTES: Jackson and Tigers C Alex Avila have both had two-triple games in the last three days. … Suzuki had gotten a rare day off Friday and was 1 for 18 on Seattle’s current road trip before tripling and singling in his final two at-bats. … The Tigers have gotten an extra-base hit in all 64 games this season, the longest streak since Tampa Bay started the 2007 season with 77 straight. It is Detroit’s longest streak to begin a year since at least 1919.

DETROIT (WWJ/) – The Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 on Saturday night and take a share of first place with the win.

As heard on 97.1 The Ticket - the Tigers share first place in the Central Division with Cleveland after the win over Seattle, and the Indian’s loss on Saturday.

Speaking post game on The Ticket Brennan Boesch said that the team doesn’t think about the beginning of their season: “…we don’t remember the start, that’s in the past…we’re just rolling.”

Max Scherzer found his form after three rocky starts, Austin Jackson tripled twice to aid in the Tigers’ win.  beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 on Saturday night.

Victor Martinez had three hits and two RBIs and Jhonny Peralta homered for the Tigers, who moved within one percentage point of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central after being as many as eight games behind in early May.

Scherzer (8-2) had struggled in his last three starts, but was back in charge against Seattle’s struggling offense. The right-hander allowed one run on four hits and two walks in seven innings to tie for the AL lead in wins.

Mariners rookie Michael Pineda had the worst start of his brief career, giving up a career-high six runs – five earned – on eight hits and a walk in 5 1-3 innings.

Stay with 97.1 The Ticket as the Tigers look to win their third game in the four game series against Seattle - Sunday afternoon.

(Copyright 2011 WWJ Newsradio 950. All Rights Reserved.)   (Copyright 2011 The . All Rights Reserved.)

(Sports Network) – The Seattle Mariners shoot for back-to-back wins for the
first time in more than a week as they settle in at Comerica Park for the
third game of a four-game set versus the Detroit Tigers.

Seattle, which is 5-5 over the last 10 games, is still in second place in the
American League West mostly due to the fact that both the LA Angels and the
Oakland A’s have fallen on hard times the last couple of weeks. Last night the
Mariners managed their second win in the last three outings with a narrow 3-2
triumph versus Detroit, which means Seattle is now 2 1/2 games out of first in
the AL West and within a game of .500 on the road at 15-16.

Carlos Peguero accounted for a triple and what turned into the game-winning
hit, a solo home run in the seventh inning for the Mariners, as he subbed for
regular outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who was given a rest day that snped a
string of 255 consecutive games played. Also stepping up for the visitors was
Justin Smoak, who tallied his 11th home run of the season and Adam Kennedy,
who recorded a pair of doubles.

Seattle starter Erik Bedard allowed two runs on three hits with six strikeouts
over five innings, but did not factor into the decision to remain unbeaten in
his last eight starts. Picking up the victory was Chris Ray, who tossed two
shutout innings, while Brandon League posted his 18th save of the campaign.

“The bullpen came in and did their job,” Ray noted. “It’s a good win for the
team.”

Detroit starter Brad Penny was saddled with the loss, his fifth of the season,
as he gave up all three runs on eight hits, while striking out two over the
course of seven innings. Designated hitter Victor Martinez accounted for both
runs for the hosts thanks to a home run in the fourth inning.

Despite the setback, Detroit is still just a game out of first in the AL
Central as it trails a slumping Cleveland Indians squad.

In search of his eighth win of 2011, Max Scherzer is slated to take the mound
for the Tigers tonight at home. The right-hander, who is tied with
several pitchers for the second-most wins in the AL entering the weekend,
has never been beaten by Seattle, picking up a win versus the Mariners
earlier this season to move to 3-0 all-time with a mere 2.25 ERA.

Scherzer last pitched on Monday against the Texas Rangers and even though he
lasted just five innings and gave up five earned runs, he still logged his
first victory in nearly a month. The Missouri native struck out four and
walked one in the triumph.

Also having a strong showing over the first two months of the season is
Seattle hurler Michael Pineda, who is sporting a 6-3 record and a 2.33 ERA,
the latter of which has him among the top-five in the American League.

The towering right-hander has dealt with a lack of offense from his teammates
in his last two starts, with the Mariners producing just a single run versus
both Baltimore and the White Sox in those pearances. On Monday Pineda gave
up just two runs on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out three in
seven innings, but still the Mariners were saddled with the 3-1 setback.

Pineda is now winless in his last three outings as a result.

Seattle hurlers have been keeping the team alive through the first two months
of the season, tied with Oakland for the top team ERA at 3.35. Much further
down the list are Detroit pitchers, who are sporting a combined 4.20 ERA even
though they are tied with the Texas Rangers for the most shutouts in the AL
with eight.

Unfortunately for the Mariners, the bats have been relatively quiet in 2011
and at this stage the squad is last in the American League in batting at just
.229. Even Ichiro, a career .328 hitter, is batting just .252 and has yet to
tally his first home run of the year.

Seattle now leads the season series between the teams by a count of 4-3 after
taking a 5-3 advantage against the Tigers last year as well.

The Sports Network

RYAN DIVISH; Staff writer |
• Published June 11, 2011

DETROIT – A night without Ichiro Suzuki atop the order? Well, the Seattle Mariners survived just fine, thank you.

Because unlike the slumping 10-time All-Star, the Mariners’ pitching – both starting and relief – has not been struggling of late. In fact, the pitching has been pretty darn good all season. Seattle has relied on it to inch above .500 this season and to remain relevant in the American League West race.

On Friday, the pitchers came through again, while the batters scored just enough runs to eke out a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Despite banging out a season-high seven extra-base hits, the Mariners couldn’t manage more than the three runs. They were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded six men on base.

But it didn’t matter as starter Erik Bedard and a trio of relievers made those three runs stand up as Seattle improved to 33-31.

“It was that type of ballgame,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. “One play either way could have made a difference.”

Two instrumental plays came from rookie Carlos Peguero, who took Ichiro’s spot in right field for the game. The powerful slugger, who couldn’t be more opposite of sl-hitting Ichiro, smacked a triple in the fifth inning and provided the deciding run in the seventh with a towering solo home run to right field. It was Peguero’s fifth home run this season, and significantly, it came off a 1-2 slider from Tigers starter Brad Penny.

After being exposed as a fastball-loving hitter early in the season, Peguero has figured out he needs to tag off-speed pitches with the same consistency.

“They throw me a lot of off-speed pitches, and the last couple of games I made an adjustment,” Peguero said.

Not swinging as hard as possible may be the answer. Wedge labeled Peguero’s swing as violent. Lately, Peguero has taken some of the anger out of it.

“Now I feel more relaxed,” he said. “My timing is better. I feel like I don’t have to swing really, really hard to hit a ball far. Everybody told me that. I just listened to that and put in into practice.”

The two runs driven in by Peguero, along with Justin Smoak’s first-inning solo home run, comprised all of the Mariners’ run-scoring offense. Two doubles from Adam Kennedy, another double from Chone Figgins and a double from Franklin Gutierrez were wasted.

But on a night when those extra-base hits didn’t result in extra runs, the pitching staff, particularly the bullpen, was the real difference.

Bedard fought his way through five innings, giving up a two-run homer to Victor Martinez in the fifth that tied the game at 2-2. But his pitch count continued to climb in the fourth and fifth.

“I threw a lot of pitches, a lot of foul balls, but I tried to limit the damage,” said Bedard, who exited after 96 pitches.

Bedard was sharper in his previous starts, but Wedge wasn’t the least bit displeased.

“Bedard, I thought was tough,” Wedge said. “He did a great job of controlling the ballgame, but we needed to get him out of there after five innings.”

Generally, it’s not ideal to utilize the bullpen halfway through a game, but the unit that’s exceeded expectations all season did it again.

Chris Ray, who lost his setup role early in the season, continued an outstanding run of relief pearances, throwing two hitless innings and striking out two hitters. Ray hasn’t allowed an earned run since May 4 – a span of 11 innings pitched.

“I’m able to get a little more leverage on my pitches and able to locate my fastball and getting that extra hop at the beginning of the year,” Ray said.

Wedge then went to David Pauley in the eighth. The right-hander, who lives in Michigan during the offseason, gave up an infield single to pinch-hitter Don Kelly on a bouncing ball off his glove. A sacrifice bunt and a ground-ball out to first moved Kelly – the tying run – to third. But he stayed there as Pauley struck out Brennan Boesch to end the inning.

Closer Brandon League came on in the ninth. After allowing a two-out single to Jhonny Peralta, he survived a deep foul ball to right from pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago to earn his 18th save.

“They’ve done a really good job,” Bedard said of the bullpen. “The reason we are in the position we are now is because of them. A lot of credit to them.”

But the big story of the day was Wedge starting a lineup without Ichiro. That doesn’t mean a trend will develop; he’s back in the lineup today.

Ichiro, who seemed perfectly fine with having the day off, spoke with both Janese and American media after the game.

Instead of relaxing and watching on the bench, he spent most of the game in the batting cages underneath the dugouts. He was prepared to pinch hit or play the field in the late innings, but Wedge never made the call.

“When you talk about our skipper, he’s very stable,” Ichiro said through his translator. “His feelings will never change. More than my will, I felt his will stronger than ever. It’s a tight ballgame, but I thought I would be in there. But he completely gave me the day off. That’s a very strong feeling when you get a feel for his proach.”

Ichiro wasn’t always sure where he stood with prior managers.

“When you look back, we had managers that would say, ‘OK, you are having the day off,’ but at the end of the day you would be playing in the seventh, eighth and ninth inning. Now I know how he truly feels. From here on, when he does give me a day off, I can sit the bench all day,” he said, chuckling.

Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483 ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners

TODAY

Seattle (Michael Pineda, 6-3, 2.33 ERA) at Detroit (Max Scherzer, 7-2, 4.68), 4:05 p.m., Root Sports, 1240-AM, 1030-AM