'Awesome feeling': Hicks' homer redeems Alexander's fine start, Tigers win nightcap

Chicago — There haven’t been many revelations this season for the Tigers — not positive ones, anyway.

Tyler Alexander has been one.

If there was a depth chart at the start of spring training, the left-hander might have been the ninth or 10th starting pitcher on it — listed behind the likes of Ryan Carpenter, Kyle Funkhouser and Beau Burrows. To suggest he would be a contributing member of the Tigers rotation the final two-plus months of the season would’ve been absurd.

"Well, I knew if I threw well I'd have a chance," Alexander said. "But with how crappy I started, I just told myself, 'One good start, just have one good start and build off that.' And I kept doing that and I ended up putting a…