SAN FRANCISCO >> Blame it on Brendan White.

The Tigers’ reliever who debuted last season and is presently on the minor league injured list misappropriated Bryan Sammons name last year and turned it into a fish metaphor.

“Yeah, they call me Big Tuna,” Sammons said before the game Friday.

Sammons sounds like salmon, right? So, of course, Sammons becomes Big Tuna. Huh?

“I guess, last name is a fish (phonetically), he decided to make it a different fish. And I’m a bigger guy so it became Big Tuna.”

Clever guy, Brendan White.

“I’ve had quite a few nicknames,” shrugged Sammons, who was called Big Guppy as a freshman at Western Carolina. “I’m not too picky about what people call me. If it makes them happy, I’m happy with it.”

Sammons, a 6-4, 250-pound lefty, has made a strong first impression. The 29-year-old, after toiling seven years in the minor leagues and starting last season in Independent ball, has seized upon an unforeseen opportunity and become somewhat of a bulk-inning warrior in the Tigers’ bullpen.

He went 7.1 innings out of the bullpen in his big-league debut on July 29. And on Thursday, he gave the Tigers 4.1 strong innings in Seattle, allowing only a solo homer to Luke Raley.

“For me, it’s just know what you’re good at, do what you’re good at and don’t try to be somebody you’re not,” he said. “Trust what you do well.”

What Sammons has done well is attack the strike zone with five pitches and lean heavily on his four-seam fastball and cutter combination.

On paper, his fastball doesn’t look menacing. The average velocity is 91-92 mph with 6-feet-4-inches of extension and with average ride. And yet, big league hitters are 0-for-25 against it in three outings.

“I think it’s the way I locate it,” he said. “I spin it pretty efficiently. Even if on paper it doesn’t have a ton of carry, I have a little lower release point with a little extra extension — just a little bit of everything. It makes it look like a better pitch than maybe it looks like on paper.”

Pairing it off his sharp cutter also enhances the effectiveness of his heater.

“It’s a different angle and he hides the ball pretty well,” manager AJ Hinch said. “It’s his first time through the league and guys are looking at him, haven’t seen him. His execution has been pretty good and he does pound the zone.

“But the cutter is the equalizer that makes his fastball even better. It’s more than the single pitch. It’s also about his other stuff. He can sweep it, he’s got a changeup and the cutter.”

Interestingly, four of the six hits he’s allowed have been home runs and it doesn’t seem to faze him.

“I love the way he goes about it,” Hinch said. “Quiet, methodical. He doesn’t really get rattled when the ball leaves the ballpark. Half of his hits have been homers and he hasn’t really shied away from the strike zone.”

It’s helped, too, that Hinch has limited Sammons to once or twice through the opponent’s batting order. That’s not likely to change.

“He’s done really well in that role,” Hinch said. “We will continue to do that and continue to give him opportunity.”