Forget the blister, Miller the MISTER

SEATTLE -- Considering that a loss would have yielded a series sweep out of the All-Star break, that the Mariners’ bats again experienced limited run production, that Bryce Miller hadn’t pitched in 16 days and that the last time he did, blood aggressively spilled out of his middle finger, what Seattle’s rookie accomplished on Sunday afternoon proved paramount.

In an abbreviated start by design, Miller threw five strong innings, installed some cerebral adjustments and held scoreless a Tigers offense that had ambushed Luis Castillo and George Kirby. Miller lifted the Mariners to a 2-0 victory at T-Mobile Park, the franchise’s 1,000th win at the venue that opened in 1999.

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An RBI double in the first inning from Jarred Kelenic -- on the outfielder’s 24th birthday -- and a 432-foot solo homer from Cal Raleigh in the fifth, Big Dumper’s first in three weeks, were just enough to Seattle avoid being swept. The Mariners have been on the wrong end of a sweep only twice this season and not since early June in Arlington.

Miller’s most recent start, on June 30 against Tampa Bay, was arguably the Mariners’ most sour loss of the season, one that saw boos erupt at an echo not often heard in this cordial territory.

But the end of that night was a drastic disparity to the beginning, when Miller didn’t allow a hit or walk before a right middle finger blister became so tender that blood burst from the area. That forced him to exit after just 3 1/3 innings, and he was placed on the 15-day injured list.

Sunday was his first eligible day to return, and he did so in a big way, with the blister taking a backseat.

“Every start, really my whole career … I've felt it,” Miller said. “So it's just managing it and making sure it doesn't get out of hand. Letting my nail actually grow out, so that the pressure stays out of the corner of my nail. That's what we're trying to do. It didn't bother me today.

“We've tried to glue in the top of the nail to make sure it doesn't crack. But really just trying to let it grow out.”

Miller didn’t overpower the Tigers with his high-riding fastball the way he has against most opponents. Rather, he turned heavily to his breaking balls to keep them honest. Detroit ambushed Kirby’s heaters the night prior and forced Castillo to throw his over the plate after laying off many of his well-placed offspeeds on Friday.

It was a similar tactic that Miller executed the last time he faced Detroit, on May 13 at Comerica Park in his third career start, when for the first time in the Majors, he steered from his fastball more deliberately.

“The harder slider, it's a big pitch for me,” Miller said. “And whenever I'm able to locate it at the bottom of the zone, it plays really well. The sweeper, I actually cut my index finger nail too far back, so it kind of felt weird throwing it today, but it was still good.”

Miller felt he could have dodged the IL altogether. But by shelving him and then reeling him to a shorter leash on Sunday, the Mariners can be more liberal about his workload in the second half. Miller threw 133 2/3 innings last year and, with a close eye, should be good to pitch through the end of the year. Seattle has said it will monitor fellow rookie Bryan Woo more closely.

“It's about the long play here and the rest of the season and keeping him healthy and making sure we've got him available for us,” manager Scott Servais said. “So, hopefully, the two weeks down, not just help the finger but maybe a little bit more juice in the engine, so to speak.”

At just 70 pitches and with a lead, albeit slim, Servais stuck to his pregame plan of not using Miller for more than five innings. Matt Brash, Justin Topa, Andrés Muñoz and Paul Sewald held Detroit to one hit the rest of the way -- an effort just as vital.

“You should never take it for granted,” Servais said of the bullpen.

The Mariners now turn to Minnesota and will enter Monday at .500 (46-46) for the 11th time since the start of June. They’ve gone 2-8 when they enter a game at .500 during that stretch.