Rookie Miller brilliant through 7, Mariners beat Tigers 5-0

DETROIT – DETROIT (AP) – Seattle Rookie right-hander Bryce Miller defeated the Detroit Tigers for seven innings in a 5-0 win Saturday that took the Mariners over the .500 mark for the first time since their opening-day win.

“Wow, Bryce Miller keeps running,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais. “I’m just amazed at how calm this young guy really is. He’s in control all the time. Nothing can really reach him. Great outing today.”

Miller (2-0) allowed just three hits, two in the first inning, and batted three while not scoring. In three starts, Miller has given up just one run with seven hits, made one walk and had 18 strikeouts in 19 innings.

“We didn’t do anything about him,” said Tigers manager AJ Hinch. “It was hard. He had good things. I thought he changed his plan of attack a bit. But across the board everything was in the attacking zone. He was efficient. He was dominant. We had hit a few balls hard, but when you look after six innings, 70 (pitches), whatever it was, three hits, zero runs, he was very effective.

“We hadn’t seen him before and I understand why he’s off to a good start in his career.”

Two of the three hits Miller allowed came in the first inning.

“It took me a while to really get going and I realized early on that not everything was as sharp as it had been the last few weeks, but they were very aggressive and peppy early on,” Miller said. “Luckily for me, I was able to go out early and throw it over the plate, and they came out.”

Spencer Torkelson said the Tigers were unlucky and had good defense.

“He had a good fastball. He filled the zone. He was making progress,” said Torkelson. “But I really don’t think the box score will show how good our shots were. We hit a lot of balls hard, straight at the boys.”

Miller is the second pitcher in Seattle with a sub-1.00 ERA (.47) in his first three career starts. Félix Hernández (0.86) in 2005 is the other.

“I’ve definitely seen some highlights,” said Miller, who turned seven in 2005. “I wasn’t an avid viewer when he was in his prime. But it is good company to be in this company.”

Jarred Kelenic hit a two-run home run in the third run and Teoscar Hernández hit a solo home run in the fourth run. They are tied with eight players in the team lead.

“A big day for Teo, he had to have a day like this,” said Servais. “He hit the home run, they finally hit him and he did it. A big day for him and Jarred has continued to have a really good start to the season.”

Kelenic’s home run came on the two-year anniversary of his major league debut.

Alex Faedo (0-1), starting for the second time this season and making his first career appearance against the Mariners, allowed three runs with four hits while notching one walk and seven strikeouts. The seven strikeouts hit a career high.

The Mariners added two more runs in the ninth thanks to Hernández’s RBI single, which scored Julio Rodríguez, and Chasen Shreve’s wild pitch, which scored Eugenio Suárez.

Seattle’s Ty France hit a single in game eight, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. He and Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe are the only players with multiple hitting streaks spanning 10+ games this season.

During Suárez’s first swing, Faedo’s throw hit the ground, bounced off catcher Eric Hasse’s glove and landed in Suárez’s arm. Undeterred, Suárez kicked the ball a couple of times with his right foot before grabbing it with his right hand and tossing it towards the dugout.

Tigers RHP Matt Manning, who broke his right foot April 12, is making a throwing progression and is expected to start throwing a mound in a couple of weeks. Mariners LHP Robbie Ray had surgery and left flexor tendon repairs by Tommy John 10 days ago and has just started rehabilitation.

Teams wrap up the three-game streak on Sunday when Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (1-2, 3.79 ERA) takes on Tigers LHP Joey Wentz (1-3, 6.09).