AJ Hinch could make late run for Manager of the Year if Tigers do the unthinkable

The Tigers (mostly) cruised to an easy victory against the Angels on Wednesday night at Comerica, extending their winning streak to six games and putting them just 4.5 games out of the Wild Card spot and just 1.5 away from the Red Sox, who the Tigers will host in Detroit this weekend.

Spencer Torkelson led the Tigers to an early lead with a two-run homer, his third since being brought up to the majors. Kerry Carpenter tacked on an RBI single in the third, and that's where scoring ended for Detroit. It was enough, though — Kenta Maeda was the bulk reliever for the night, only giving up two runs (neither earned) on a Mickey Moniak homer.

When the Tigers got their record over .500, there was immediate cautious optimism about their chances to make it to the postseason for the first time in 10 years. Per FanGraphs, their playoff odds rose to 5.1% with their win over the Angels, and their strength of schedule through September is one of the lowest in the American League.

The odds are still stacked against them, but if the Tigers were able to pull this off, it wouldn't only mean a guaranteed Cy Young for Tarik Skubal and real Rookie of the Year consideration for Colt Keith, but AJ Hinch could bring Detroit its first Manager of the Year award since Jim Leyland in 2006.

Tigers' postseason chances are rising and fans are tentatively optimistic

As soon as the Tigers got their winning percentage up past .481 a few weeks ago, their best since 2016, Hinch justified the front office's decision to extend him during the offseason. He's led an underdog Tigers team not only to a winning record, but back into the postseason conversation, at the very least.

Going forward, the Red Sox are likely to present a light challenge to the Tigers, as are the Padres, who the Tigers will go out to the west coast to see after their series against Boston. Seeing the Orioles twice and the Royals once before the season ends is also a tad worrisome, but the Athletics, Rockies, Rays, and White Sox to wrap up the regular season seem like they'll be easy wins for a team this hot.

So, really, this could come down to the wire. The Twins are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, so if they keep spiraling and the Tigers can pull out a series win against Boston, there is more of a chance. It's still low — some fans are maybe getting a little too excited about 5.1% odds — but Detroit is slowly crawling their way up and they're looking good doing it. It's still hard to get our hopes completely up, but this upcoming series against Boston could change everything, and Hinch could see his odds to win Manager of the Year increase, too.