DETROIT -- Opening Day at Comerica Park on Friday afternoon began with a buzz downtown over the Tigers¡¯ hot start. It ended with a yell from the mound once Alex Lange fanned Zack Gelof to finish off a 5-4 win over the A¡¯s, a loud reaction even for the 28-year-old reliever.

¡°Just good to come out with the win,¡± he shrugged.

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A week ago, it seemed like a logical outcome. Lange had 26 saves last year, eighth-most among American League relievers. His status this season seemed more like a formality since manager A.J. Hinch bristles at assigning the title of closer.

But Friday¡¯s game, much like the season to date, had twists and turns. And when Lange replaced lefty Andrew Chafin to set up a righty-righty matchup with Gelof with two on and two out in the ninth, he became the third different Tigers reliever to finish out a win this season.

The way Hinch is using this group, that total could quickly balloon. And that might be a sign of strength.

¡°When I look down on my [bullpen] card in the dugout, I literally want to put every guy in,¡± Hinch said before Friday¡¯s win. ¡°And that¡¯s a good start. It¡¯s a dynamic bullpen.¡±

For all the attention on a potentially stacked rotation, the bullpen is a big reason behind Detroit¡¯s 6-1 start. Jason Foley has two wins and two saves. Add in two wins for Shelby Miller and another for Tyler Holton, and relievers have five of the club¡¯s six victories.

Part of that is a product of close wins; Friday marked the Tigers¡¯ fifth one-run game. But just as important, it¡¯s a good group of arms, not just for their individual arsenals but for how they complement each other as a group.

Tigers relievers have allowed just three runs on 11 hits and 15 walks in 29 innings this season, good for an MLB-best 0.93 ERA and a .118 opponents' batting average.

¡°It¡¯s awesome,¡± Lange said. ¡°I don¡¯t think anybody¡¯s uncomfortable pitching in any role. And I think that¡¯s what¡¯s going to carry us through this year. So many guys can do so many different jobs.¡±

If there was a day to get to the bullpen, Friday was it. The Tigers used every reliever but Will Vest in Thursday¡¯s doubleheader split against the Mets. Skubal, the only Detroit starter with a win this season, took the mound for the home opener looking to eat innings while protecting a lead. He dominated until Brent Rooker¡¯s two-run homer in the sixth and Abraham Toro¡¯s solo shot in the seventh spoiled a gem. Vest limited the damage but allowed an inherited runner to score and tie it.

¡°When you have a lead the way we did with Skubal on the mound, it feels like an insurmountable lead,¡± Hinch said. ¡°And I think it¡¯s important for our team to see and learn that it¡¯s not.¡±

The A¡¯s took the Tigers¡¯ ace out of the decision and put the game on a taxed bullpen. And the bullpen still delivered with matchups.

Foley, about as close as the Tigers have had to a closer this season, pitched the eighth against the right-handed middle of the A¡¯s order, spotting fastballs for called third strikes on Rooker and Shea Langeliers before retiring Seth Brown.

Once Gio Urshela¡¯s RBI double put the Tigers back in front in the bottom of the eighth, Hinch turned to Chafin -- one of Detroit¡¯s three lefty relievers but the only one with extensive closing experience -- to face the switch-hitting Toro and back-to-back lefties in the ninth.

¡°That¡¯s an example of being a little bit unpredictable,¡± Hinch said. ¡°My apologies to the fantasy lovers out there, but it happens. When you manage [the game] forward, things are going to come up where you really want to target guys.¡±

Chafin walked Toro to lead off the inning and the left-handed Ryan Noda two batters later to put the potential tying run in scoring position. Chafin stayed in for a lefty-righty battle with Nick Allen and got a popout to short, but with four more right-handed hitters coming up, starting with Gelof, Hinch turned to Lange.

¡°He could have got the inning by himself,¡± Hinch said. ¡°He¡¯s got weapons to get everybody out.¡±

Lange also can be his toughest opponent, mainly with command. He walked three of four batters in a seventh-inning appearance last Saturday before Vest rescued him from a bases-loaded jam. After a first-pitch ball Friday, Lange overwhelmed Gelof, who fouled off a 95 mph sinker in the zone and a curveball at the bottom before chasing another breaking ball.

Hinch says he¡¯ll eventually sort out a late-inning order as top relievers emerge. But the longer this works, the longer he¡¯ll try for unpredictability.

¡°It¡¯s a fun bullpen to be a part of,¡± Lange said.