DENVER — Kevin Millwood tossed a two-hitter for his first shutout in nearly nine years and Mike Carp hit a solo homer, helping the Seattle Mariners sn a four-game skid with a 4-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

It was also the 22nd complete game of the 37-year-old righty’s career.

Millwood (2-4) comfortably cruised through this game and didn’t surrender his first hit until two outs in the sixth. He struck out seven and walked one. He didn’t allow a runner to reach third until the ninth inning, but got Carlos Gonzalez to line out to end the game.

The Mariners improved to 2-6 on their 10-game, four-city road swing.

Carp hit his third homer of the season in the second, a towering shot to the deepest part of the park. Kyle Seager had an RBI single and drove in another on a sacrifice fly. John Jaso added an insurance run the ninth by bringing in Seager on a sac fly.

Alex White (0-3) was the hard-luck loser, dropping his sixth straight start in a dubious string that dates back to Sept. 16. After struggling early, White settled into a groove. He gave up three runs — two earned — and seven hits in seven solid innings.

After bouncing around, Millwood may have finally found a home with the Mariners.

The journeyman pitcher shuffled around the minor leagues with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for much of last season. He joined the Rockies rotation last August in an emergency situation, when Juan Nicasio was lost for the year after taking a line drive to the right temple and suffering a fractured skull along with a neck injury.

Millwood wound up 4-3 wearing Colorado’s purple pinstripes.

He once again had to prove himself this season, signing a minor league contract with Seattle. He started winless in his first six games this season, before beating the Yankees last Sunday.

Among all active pitchers, Millwood ranks fourth innings pitched (2,609), strikeouts (2,011) and games started (423). He’s also eighth in wins (165).

He flirted with a no-hitter, giving up his only two hits in the sixth inning. The first was on Marco Scutaro’s chopper that Seager couldn’t snare in the hole between third and short. The official scorer took a good, long look at the play before ruling it a hit. Jordan Pacheco followed with a single up the middle, but Scutaro was thrown out by Michael Saunders as he tried to advance to third.

Bee-ware

The swarm of bees that suddenly made Coors Field its new hive on Thursday brought back painful memories for Michael Cuddyer. That’s why he stayed clear of the buzzing mass which attached itself to a post near the Rockies’ dugout.

When Cuddyer was 17 years old, he was picking up the mail when he was stung more than dozen times by a bunch of bees that were residing underneath the mailbox.

“I was in the car and I couldn’t get out. I finally fell out of my car. It was bad,” Cuddyer recounted. “So, yeah, I’m terrified of bees.”

Mariners 4, Rockies 0 Seattle ab r h bi Colo. ab r h bi

Ackley 2b 4 0 0 0 Scutaro 2b 4 0 1 0

MSndrs cf 4 1 1 0 Pachec 3b 4 0 1 0

ISuzuki rf 4 1 2 0 CGnzlz lf 4 0 0 0

Seager 3b 3 1 2 2 Tlwtzk ss 3 0 0 0

Smoak 1b 4 0 1 0 Helton 1b 3 0 0 0

Jaso c 3 0 1 1 Cuddyr rf 3 0 0 0

Carp lf 3 1 1 1 WRosr c 3 0 0 0

C.Wells lf 1 0 0 0 Fowler cf 2 0 0 0

Ryan ss 2 0 0 0 White p 2 0 0 0

Millwd p 3 0 0 0 MtRynl p 0 0 0 0

Roenck p 0 0 0 0

EYong ph 0 0 0 0

Totals 31 4 8 4 Totals 28 0 2 0

Seattle 110 001 001 — 4

Colorado 000 000 000 — 0

E — W.Rosario (2). DP — Colorado 1. LOB — Seattle 3, Colorado 3. 2B — Jaso (6). 3B — M.Saunders (1), Seager (1). HR — Carp (3). SB — I.Suzuki (6), Fowler (3). CS — Seager (1). SF — Seager, Jaso.

Seattle IP H R ER BB SO

Millwood W,2-4 9 2 0 0 1 7

Colorado IP H R ER BB SO

White L,0-3 7 7 3 2 0 7

Mat.Reynolds 12/3 1 1 1 0 2

Roenicke 1/3 0 0 0 0 1

HBP — by Millwood (E.Young), by White (Ryan). T — 2:32. A — 34,887 (50,398).

PEORIA, Ariz. () — Dustin Ackley thinks the Seattle Mariners have the bats to improve an offense that finished last in the majors in runs last season.

They sure looked OK on Monday.

Ackley had three hits to lead the Mariners to a 13-7 exhibition victory over the San Diego Padres.

“We’ve improved up and down the lineup,” Ackley said. “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”

Carlos Quentin went 2 for 2 and walked in his spring debut for the Padres.

The Mariners averaged 3.43 runs per game last season, but they could turn it around in a hurry if Ackley puts together a breakout year.

The second overall pick in the 2009 draft is expect to hit second behind Chone Figgins, who is returning to the leadoff spot. Ichiro Suzuki will hit third this season.

But if Figgins falters, Ackley, who hit .273 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 90 games last season, could move into the top spot.

Ackley batted first on Monday and doubled to left-center against Dustin Moseley in the first inning. Ackley, who scored two runs, singled to right in the third and also tripled to center to start the fifth.

The second baseman said he doesn’t care where he hits because he figures he’ll be surrounded by good hitters, especially after the Mariners acquired Jesus Montero from the Yankees in January.

“I’ve hit in all different positions,” Ackley said. “I feel comfortable and I’m not going to change my proach wherever I’m at. We’ve got a lot of great bats in the lineup. Wherever you look, we’ve got guys who can swing it. Getting Montero is going to help. He’s a special hitter.”

The Padres are hoping Quentin can do the same for their lineup. They acquired him from the White Sox for two minor leaguers on Dec. 31.

The slugger singled, doubled and reached in all three of his trips to the plate against Seattle.

“That’s always good for the confidence,” Padres manager Bud Black said.

Moseley felt confident after he made his first pearance since July 26. The right-hander, who was 3-10 with a 3.30 ERA in 20 starts last season, had surgery on Aug. 3 to repair the csule in his left shoulder and missed the rest of the season.

Moseley yielded two runs and two hits over two innings but said his body felt good.

“It was good to get back out there,” he said. “It felt like it’s been so long. But my body felt good, arm felt great.”

Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma wasn’t as optimistic following his first spring start. The right-hander allowed a run and three hits in one inning. He also struggled in an intrasquad game last week.

Iwakuma agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Seattle in January. The deal also includes a little over $3 million in possible incentives.

“I kind of regret too many pitches,” Iwakuma said through a translator. “I’m getting better every time, but I have to pitch more innings next time.”

Oliver Perez recorded four outs for Seattle and was charged with four runs, three earned, and two hits. The former Padres, Mets and Pirates starter hasn’t peared in a major league game since 2010.

NOTES: Padres 3B Chase Headley was a late scratch from the starting lineup with a tight lower back. . Padres OF Cameron Maybin was sent home with flulike symptoms and C John Baker missed a second straight day with the same ailment.