Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

After series split with Rangers, Tigers have golden opportunity

After winning twice in a four-game series against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, the Detroit Tigers find themselves in an interesting spot.

Despite standing 10 games under .500 entering Friday, the Tigers (35-45) are just four games back of AL Central co-leaders Minnesota and Cleveland. As the halfway point of the season approaches, it's anybody's guess as to which team will take advantage in a division in which no team is above .500. 

However, the Tigers must be salivating as they peek at the schedule. Their next two series are against the Colorado Rockies (32-51) and Oakland Athletics (21-62). If there was ever a time for the Tigers to string together wins and reach the top of the division, it's now. 

The Tigers, however, are dealing with horrific injury luck. On the pitching side, it was announced this week that the club's leader in wins and strikeouts, Matthew Boyd, will have season-ending Tommy John surgery. The Tigers have started 12 different pitchers in the first 80 games because of injuries to the staff, including Eduardo Rodriguez and Spencer Turnbull. 

In the field, the Tigers remain without their best hitter in center fielder Riley Greene and corner outfielder, Akil Baddoo. The silver lining is that both of those players arrived in Toledo on Friday for a Triple-A rehab stint with the Mud Hens. If the Tigers start a winning streak against the inferior Rockies and A's, the reinforcements could arrive at the perfect time.

The other snag is that the Tigers have struggled to hit. As a team, they sport a batting average of just .229, tied with the Seattle Mariners for third to last in the league. The Tigers' 73 home runs are less than half of the league-leading Atlanta Braves' 147. Detroit should hope for first baseman Spencer Torkelson to stay hot after collecting five RBI in the Rangers series (including a pair of home runs in the finale) despite sitting for a game.

In a long season of ebbs and flows, it's never too late to get on a roll. For the Tigers, however, it may be now or never. A golden opportunity is right under their nose.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Micah Parsons makes history with new Bleacher Report deal
Celtics assistant named candidate for Lakers HC job
Rudy Gobert fined $75,000 for gesture in Game 4
Former Canadiens GM on Blue Jackets' radar
Cubs designate lefty reliever for assignment
Two-time Super Bowl champ signs with AFC contender
Stars center matches Gretzky feat as Dallas pushes Avalanche to brink
Gritty young Thunder take down veteran Mavericks in Game 4
Cubs acquiring veteran reliever from Mariners
Top-five NBA Draft prospect suffers scary non-contact injury
Hurricanes stay alive with third-period outburst vs. Rangers
Jaylen Brown's big three-pointer gives Celtics 3-1 lead over Cavs
Avalanche star placed in player assistance program
Mercury announce devastating injury on eve of WNBA season
Randy Moss' son makes major football announcement
Reds place key outfielder on injured list with broken thumb
Tom Brady's broadcasting debut set for Week 1 of NFL season
Struggling Cubs reliever placed on injured list 
Report: Justin Fields had ‘toxic' relationship with ex-Bears QB
Extension makes Lions QB Jared Goff one of NFL's highest-paid players

Want more Tigers news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.