Littell hasn't missed a beat with Blaze

Some pitchers need some time to adjust to life in the California League. Zack Littell isn't one of them.

The Mariners' No. 14 prospect gave up four singles and struck out seven over seven scoreless innings Wednesday night, pitching Class A Advanced Bakersfield to an 8-3 victory over San Jose at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

It marked a subtle rebound for Littell, who allowed two runs -- one earned -- on 10 hits over six innings in his last start.

"My past three starts haven't been what I wanted them to be, so tonight I just looked to build on last week, trying to give our team a chance to win," he said. "We lost our last two games, so I wanted to go out there, get deep into a game and put us in a good situation to win a game.

The 20-year-old right-hander surrendered hits in the second, third, fifth and seventh innings on the way to his seventh win in eight starts since joining the Blaze on July 4 from Class A Clinton.

"I was really just trying to keep them off-balance," Littell said. "I've seen these guys a couple times now and I tried to just work both sides of the plate, work in all my pitches and mix it up. [San Jose] makes really good adjustments throughout the game, so I was trying not to fall into a pattern and just work ahead in the count."

For many pitchers who make the transition from the Midwest League, there are some growing pains. But Littell has compiled a 1.77 ERA that would lead the Cal League by nearly a full run if he had enough innings to qualify.

"[The key] is just sticking to what I've been doing," Littell said. "When I got the call, I talked to the pitching coach in Clinton and guys who have pitched here before, and everyone said, 'It's no different. What you're doing here can get hitters out there.' So I've been sticking with my approach and using my defense, trying to get ahead in counts and get quick contact. I just have to pitch my game instead of trying to be better [to compensate for the Cal League]."

Littell went 5-5 with a 2.76 ERA and two complete games over 97 2/3 innings in 16 starts for Clinton. Since arriving on the West Coast, the North Carolina native has a .237 opponents' batting average and 8.3 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

"Definitely, the hitters' approach [in the Cal League] is probably the biggest [difference]," he said. "Guys know themselves a little bit more and know what they're looking for, and they're a lot better at executing more often. I just have to make quality pitches -- not that you can't miss pitches, but when you do miss, don't make them [hittable]."

Ramon Morla relieved Littell and surrendered three runs on four hits and two walks over the final two innings.

Gianfranco Wawoe went 3-for-5 with a solo homer in the seventh inning for Bakersfield, while Kyle Petty contributed two hits and two RBIs.

San Jose starter Dan Slania (2-1) was charged with five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings.

Giants No. 17 prospect Dylan Davis and No. 6 prospect Aramis Garcia homered in the ninth after Jonah Arenado extended his hitting streak to 14 games.