#FireAvila had become the hashtag of the day as the Tigers got off to an historically dreadful start.
All the reasons for the Tigers' struggles suddenly were viewed as excuses.
It didn't matter if general manager Al Avila isn't going anywhere months before the draft, or that MLB and its Players Association face labor Armageddon this offseason, or before we really know if the Tigers' highly-ranked minor league system will ultimately bear fruit.
But something happened on the way to pending disaster and seemingly another long summer of discontent.
The Tigers have started winning games -- six of their last eight.
Almost with the flick of a switch, Casey Mize has gone from the worst of the players from the 2018 draft to make their MLB debuts to the best. Michael Fulmer not only looks like the pre-Tommy John and knee surgeries All Star, if anything he has been better as a badly-needed high-leverage reliever.
With Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull, Jose Urena, a quietly improving Tarik Skubal and Mize, the Tigers have the makings of a solid starting staff. The bullpen is still iffy, but Fulmer's emergence has certainly helped.
The Tigers aren't going to remind anyone of the Dodgers offensively. Early in the season, they were simply giving up too many at-bats, though. There is such a difference between being ahead in the count compared to falling behind. Hitters down in the count 0-2 have a .184 on-base percentage, compared .584 for hitters ahead in the count 2-0, according to SABR research. At 1-2 compared to 2-1, it's .216 to .388.
The Tigers have been better at that aspect lately. It helps, too, when somebody like Eric Haase hits a couple unexpected bombs.
The key is run suppression, to make the home runs matter, and that involves fielding as much as pitching. The Tigers are making the routine plays with more consistency. It benefited Mize greatly Monday to have a genuine MLB second basemen in Jonathan Schoop back at his natural position. He made a difficult play when it was needed, and it was an obvious difference.
The gauge determining whether the Tigers are able to sustain this momentum is whether they can win series. It's not necessarily winning streaks. It was a promising start Monday in Seattle.
Nobody expects miracles at this juncture, just a reasonable facsimile of an MLB product.
The angst about Avila and the Tigers early on was understandable. It was so bad it definitely fell under the category of indefensible.
But Avila isn't going anywhere any time soon, and at least the last week or so has provided some reason as to why other than it just being about timing.
Good for him, but better for the Tigers and their fans.
