AJ Hinch's baffling bullpen decision cost Tigers a win on Sunday

Something's wrong with Shelby Miller again. The Tigers signing him to a one-year deal in the offseason was a hopeful move that reflected confidence in the team's pitching staff to be able to help him maintain the level of excellence he reached with the Dodgers in 2023, when he pitched 42 innings out of the bullpen for a 1.71 ERA.

And he did look good for Detroit through his first seven innings, but then things took a nosedive. From April through June, he pitched 26 innings for a 6.23 ERA with five blown saves and five losses.

July hinted at a return to form, with 13 1/3 innings and 0.68 ERA, but then the calendar turned over to August, and we're back to square one. On Friday, he gave up four hits and four runs to the Royals and 9-2 loss for the Tigers and was pulled before recording an out, but it got even worse on Sunday.

It was another bullpen game for the Tigers, and Detroit's hitters had gotten two runs on the board to Kansas City's zero. In the top of the ninth, AJ Hinch sent out Miller to close things out instead of Jason Foley, the Tigers' actual closer.

Sure enough, Miller gave up a three-run homer to MJ Melendez, which would eventually give KC the win.

AJ Hinch's questionable decision to use Shelby Miller as closer cost Tigers a series split against Royals

Going to Miller instead of Foley was a baffling decision. Foley has 15 saves this season with only three blown opportunities. To make matters worse, Hinch did eventually decide to go to Foley to finish the game, but not even right after Miller had already given up the three-run homer. He waited for Miller to walk another batter before finally pulling him and putting Foley in to record the final out.

By then, it was too little, too late. The Tigers' offense couldn't get anything working in the bottom of the ninth to either walk it off or go to extras, despite a single from Wenceel Pérez (who walked things off the night before) to try to inject some momentum back into the lineup.

All told, the Tigers used six of their 11 relievers on Sunday in a time when pitching depth is seemingly nonexistent. The only silver lining here is that the Tigers have an off day on Monday to rest up, but this is hardly how the bullpen, already stretched too thin, should be utilized as the team tries to scrape through the last two months of the season.