Tigers see signs of Upton heating up

DETROIT — The biting chill in the breeze that stuck around Comerica Park through April finally began to relent this week. The forecast is giving Michiganders a nod to what they’ve been anticipating for months since that frozen stretch of January but have only been teased about since Opening Day.

Justin Upton’s bat is finally starting to warm up. What, you thought this was about spring in Michigan?

“He’s looked a lot better the last week, I think,” bench coach Gene Lamont said after Upton’s ground-rule double to the deepest part of left-center field Tuesday night against the Twins.

“He hit the bleep out of two balls,” manager Brad Ausmus said of the double and a lineout to the other gap before that. “Hopefully a sign of turning the corner.”

Like the change of seasons, there’s a feeling of inevitability with Upton’s offense. He always had a reputation as a furiously streaky hitter, but also a track record of consistency at season’s end. He’ll hit like an MVP in some stretches and look hopeless in others, but he has averaged 30 doubles, 25 homers, 80 RBIs and 147 strikeouts a year since 2009. Aside from his .251 batting average last season — 19 points under his career clip — his year-to-year numbers do not deviate far from the norm. At age 28, he’s entering his physical …

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