Two days ago, the word being used to describe the Tigers offense was "anemic".
Things have changed in a hurry.
After blowing out Minnesota 13-1 on Thursday afternoon, the Tigers went into St. Louis Friday night and put a 10-4 beating on the best team in baseball.
That's 23 runs on 37 hits in two days, including seven homers.
"The last couple days, we've swung the bats better, and with two strikes, we've been a tougher out than we had been in previous weeks," said Brad Ausmus. "Hopefully, we can stay there as an offense."
The 13 runs against Minnesota were nice, but it was more impressive to reach double digits against a Cardinals team that came into the night with a 14-3 record at Busch Stadium.
"They have the record they have for a reason - they don't give up easily," Ausmus said. "But we kept pressing on and our hitters kept having good at-bats and we were able to tack on some extra runs."
The extra runs were important, because the final score doesn't do a good job of describing the game. Detroit led 5-0 early, but the Cardinals got within 5-2 and 6-4 before the Tigers put the game away with four runs in the top of the ninth.
"It was one of those games where they just kept coming back," said J.D. Martinez, who homered in the seventh and scored again in the ninth. "We were up 5-zip, but then it was a three-run game, and then it was a two-run game, so we knew we needed to add on at least a run or two in the ninth to make it more comfortable."
Anthony Gose only scored once in the game, but his three hits give him seven in the two-game explosion, and his presence on the bases make him a major factor.
"He's always on the bases in these last couple games, and that makes it fun to hit, because the pitchers are always worrying about him," Martinez said. "That's huge for our offense. I told him in the spring that he was the key to our offense, because when he gets on base, pitchers are scared."
Gose was acquired in the offseason for prospect Devin Travis, and when Travis started the season looking like an All Star for Toronto, people were already writing off the move. Six weeks into the season, though, Gose is hitting .357 -- something not even the Tigers expected.
"He's certainly been better than advertised at the plate," Ausmus said. "We knew he had a lot of upside, but he's really been a nice surprise at the top of the order."
Gose isn't a real candidate for a batting title, especially with his high strikeout totals -- he's hitting .515 when he puts the ball in play, which is over a hundred points higher than any major-league player has managed in the 21st century.
But with his speed and defensive ability, he doesn't need to hit anywhere near .350 to be able to help the team.
GREENE LEAVES EARLY: The only negative Friday night was that starter Shane Greene had to leave the game after five innings with a nerve issue in his elbow. Greene's ulnar nerve -- the one that you probably think of as your "funny bone" -- was moved outside its normal channel when he had Tommy John surgery in college.
As a result, it can become pinched or compressed, causing numbness in the ring finger and pinkie of his pitching hand. That's what happened Friday, and while it could become a major problem if the pressure doesn't relieve itself, Greene is trying to stay optimistic.
"I'm a little scared, because I've never had this before," he said. "But my gut feeling is that I'll be on the mound in five days."
CABRERA TIES THE BIG CAT: Miguel Cabrera's homer in the seventh was the 399th of his career, tying Andres Galarraga for the most by a Venezuelan-born player. He has also matched the career total of Tigers legend Al Kaline.
