The Detroit Tigers have been lacking power since Kerry Carpenter was placed on the injured list in late May.
Carpenter returned in a big way on Tuesday in the first game of a three-game home series against Seattle. He blasted two home runs in a 15-1 romp.
The second game of the series will be played Wednesday night.
Carpenter, who was on the 60-day injured list, made his first appearance since May 26. He was batting .283 with eight homers and 29 RBIs when he was sidelined by a back injury.
By reaching the 10-homer mark, he’s fourth on the team despite his lengthy absence.
“I wish I didn’t miss as much time as I did, but I think we did everything we possibly could to get back — and here we are. I feel happy with it,” he said.
Carpenter batted in the No. 2 spot in his first game back. He also had a two-homer game against the Houston Astros on May 11.
“Watching the games isn’t as fun as playing the games,” he said. “I got to see a bunch of good baseball, I got to see a bunch of my friends play for 2 1/2 months, but it’s a lot better being out here with them.”
Carpenter will serve as the designated hitter in most of his remaining appearances.
“He’s such a big presence and such a big threat,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s amazing what one hitter does to a middle of your order, where it just sort of relaxes the group. … It’s great to see him back. You see the impact right away.”
Seattle’s nine-game road trip got off to a miserable start. The Mariners had won their previous four outings.
George Kirby gave up a career-high 11 runs.
“I thought George’s stuff was pretty good early, but he obviously made some mistakes as they extended some innings,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “We could have made some plays, too. They had six infield hits, and we had five of them in our gloves.”
Bryan Woo (5-1, 2.27 ERA) will pitch the middle game of the series for the Mariners. The 24-year-old right-hander is coming off a no-decision against the Tigers in Seattle on Thursday. He tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits. He issued only one walk while recording seven strikeouts.
Facing the Tigers for the first time in his young career, Woo retired the first 12 batters he faced. He then gave up three runs in the fifth but hung around into the seventh.
In his previous outing on Aug. 2, Woo tossed seven shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Woo has been extremely stingy against right-handed batters this season, holding them to a .176 average and .195 on-base percentage. He also hasn’t allowed a homer to a right-handed hitter.
The Tigers, as they often have in the past few weeks, will use a series of relievers to get through the game. Ace Tarik Skubal and rookie Keider Montero are the only regular starters in their rotation for the time being.
–Field Level Media
