Wilson benefits from midseason rest

CHICAGO — When Tigers general manager Al Avila praised manager Brad Ausmus on Saturday for his work this season, his key example was bullpen management. It wasn’t simply about managing veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez or the setup men Avila signed to help him, but guys like Alex Wilson, last year’s do-everything reliever who has struggled for much of this season.

When Wilson hit 94 mph with his fastball on Friday while getting two key outs to protect a lead, Avila said, it was “probably as close as he came to how he was pitching last year. It was very encouraging to see.”

When he followed that up with five outs and no baserunners Saturday night, erasing a fifth-inning jam in the process, that sense was only reinforced.

It’s not just the Tigers feeling like Wilson is back to last year’s form. It’s Wilson, too.

“I would say, far and away, the best I’ve felt since before last year’s All-Star break,” Wilson said. “There’s no real rhyme or reason to it. I’m on the same program. …

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