Seattle — This is why AJ Hinch doesn’t put a lot of stock in momentum.
The Tigers came into the series finale at T-Mobile Park Sunday riding two impressive victories against the Mariners. If ever a team had some momentum, right?
Seattle starter Bryce Miller didn’t get the memo. In his first start since June 30 (blister issue), he stonewalled the Tigers for five innings and set the tone for the Mariners’ 2-0 win.
BOX SCORE: Mariners 2, Tigers 0
If Miller slowed the Tigers’ roll, the Mariners’ bullpen stopped it completely. Relievers Matt Brash, Justin Topa and Andres Munoz set down nine straight hitters, three apiece.
“This pitching staff, if you give them the lead and then they can set their bullpen up how the want, they’re tough,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. ” … I said before the game we needed to get to (Miller), ’cause their best guys were fresh and then we saw their bullpen 6, 7, 8 (innings).
“It’s a low-scoring game, you need as many opportunities as you can get. We won the series, which is the silver lining, but it was a missed opportunity today.”
Kerry Carpenter ended a run of 12 straight outs with a one-out single off closer Paul Sewald. But Sewald struck out Matt Vierling and Javier Báez to end the frame. It was the 12th time this season the Tigers have been shut out.
“I’m not big on momentum,” Hinch said. “Moments build in a game, for sure. But that doesn’t dictate performance.”
The moments were few and far between for the Tigers on Sunday. And they wasted a strong outing by rookie right-hander Reese Olson. Working with no margin for error, he only made a couple.
In the first inning, after getting a clutch double-play ball from Teoscar Hernandez, he hung a slider to left-handed hitting Jarred Kelenic. He hit a line drive off the wall in left field, scoring J.P. Crawford and giving the Mariners their first lead of the series.
The Tigers were 27-12 this season when they scored first.
“They came out very, very aggressive, swinging first pitch virtually every at-bat,” Hinch said. “They ambushed him in the first inning and got a couple of hits. Kelenic had the big two-out hit. He almost escaped that trouble right out of the chute, but it looked like (Olson) made some adjustments, started mixing up his pitches a little bit better. …”
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With two outs in the fourth inning, Olson fell behind in the count 3-1 to Cal Raleigh. Olson didn’t give in. He threw meaty, 93-mph fastball and Raleigh crushed his 12th home run of the season.
That was all the damage he’d allow. He struck out five with no walks in his 5.1 innings. The one hanger to Kelenic notwithstanding, Olson’s slider was sharp. He got nine swinging strikes on 16 swings. He threw that and a two-seam fastball off a 95-mph four-seam fastball that got five whiffs on 14 swings.
But the Tigers, who hit five home runs in the first two games, couldn’t get started offensively.
Back to 10 games under .500 (41-51), they open a four-game series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium Monday.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky