In brief: Betancourt joins wounded M’s

Baseball: The Seattle Mariners placed starting shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after he pulled his hamstring running out a ground ball the previous night.

Betancourt injured the lower part of his right hamstring after hitting a ground ball in the eighth inning in Wednesday night’s 4-3 win over San Diego. Manager Don Wakamatsu said it will be at least 15 days before Betancourt is recovered.

Betancourt was the third Seattle player to go on the DL in the past 10 days, joining pitcher Erik Bedard and outfielder Endy Chavez.

The corresponding roster move was easy for Wakamatsu. Second baseman Jose Lopez, who was on the bereavement list to attend the funeral of his sister in Venezuela, returned to Seattle on Wednesday night and was back in the starting lineup Thursday.

The M’s also plan on activating catcher Kenji Johjima from the DL today.

Associated Press

Zags, Davidson schedule battle

Men’s basketball: Gonzaga will face Davidson on Dec. 12 at KeyArena in the Comcast Battle in Seattle.

The teams met in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament. Stephen Curry scored 40 points to lead Davidson to an 82-76 victory over the Zags. Curry won’t be around for the rematch. He skipped his senior season to enter the NBA draft, and was selected No. 7 overall by Golden State.

Gonzaga is 3-3 in previous Battles in Seattle.

Tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster on Sept. 19. A Spokane-only presale is scheduled for Sept. 12.

Cheney prepares for cyclists

Cycling: Ultracyclist Michael Emde headlines the entries for Saturday’s Washington State Masters Cycling Championships in Cheney.

About 200 bicycle riders are expected to compete in eight races on a challenging, eight-corner, 1-mile loop in downtown Cheney, starting with junior racers at 9 a.m.

The first two criterium races are Junior C/D and Junior A/B at 9 a.m. and 9:40, followed by Master Women A and Master Women B at 10:30 and 11:25.

There is a race for riders 9 and younger at 12:15 p.m., followed by the first of four Master Men races. D class begins at 1 p.m., C at 1:50, B at 2:45 and D at 3:45.