A.J. Hinch called him "the right guy at the right time." And while Hinch was referring to the situation at hand Monday night, he could have been speaking to the situation at large. Kerry Carpenter has given the Tigers' offense a jolt since returning from a shoulder injury, like the charge he put into the ball -- and into the ballpark -- when he socked a go-ahead, three-run homer to lift the Tigers to a 6-4 win over the Royals on Monday. In a division that no one seems eager to win, Detroit's doing enough to stick around.
In big spots, the 25-year-old Carpenter seems to breathe easy. He trusts in his faith, and leans on his talent. Carpenter believes in a higher plan that's beyond his control, one that helped him make peace with losing his father -- and his hitting coach -- three years ago to liver cancer. So he does not sweat the outcome when he steps to the plate in the big leagues, just the process of finding a good pitch to hit.
"That’s a good start," said A.J. Hinch. "He’s an offensive-minded player who’s always pretty locked-in. Part of having have a slow heartbeat is the focus."
Carpenter saw 21 pitches in his first three plate appearances Monday, but was retired twice on fastballs. Prior to his stint on the injured list, fastballs were all he could hit. He spent his rehab assignment recalibrating his swing against off-speed pitches, which is exactly what he got from reliever Taylor Clarke with two on and two out and two strikes in the seventh inning on Monday, the Tigers trailing by a run. It was a hanging changeup. Carpenter stayed back just long enough to yank it down the right field line as the Tigers dugout leaned to the left and "made sure that sucker stayed fair," said Hinch.
Carpenter knew it was gone as soon as he hit it, like it was always part of the plan. And while he swore he wasn't trying to pimp it after losing his footing and winding up in the opposite batter's box, "I was cool with how it came out," he said with a grin.
"He was ready to hit," said Jake Rogers, whose two-RBI single had shaved the deficit to one. "He’s always ready to hit when he goes up there. They left a breaking ball up and he went way-back. It was a big spot for one of our best hitters, if not our best."
"Kerry, I mean, right spot, right time," said Hinch. "He’s going to take good swings and good passes at good pitches and he battled that whole at-bat. I think part of that calmness that’s over him in his overall life definitely carries over to the field."
He might wish he couldn't, but Hinch can relate. He lost his father to a heart attack as a freshman in college, five years before he would realize his dream of reaching the big leagues. When the Tigers called Carpenter to Detroit last summer after watching the former 19th-round draft pick and DICK'S employee destroy minor-league pitching, Hinch said, "Neither of our fathers are going to get to see a major-league debut, but that doesn’t mean he’s not proud. I’m rooting hard for this kid.”
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Carpenter flashed some of his power with the Tigers last season, finishing with a .795 OPS in 31 games. 31 games into his second season, he has an OPS of .842 -- and an OPS+ of 130. Both are tops on the team. With so much angst around the absence of Riley Greene, it was easy to forget how much the Tigers missed Carpenter's left-handed bat for six weeks, but their lineup looks different now that he's back. So does Carpenter, who's hitting a cool .395 in 11 games since rejoining the team.
"I’ve felt amazing," Carpenter said. "Honestly, we’re just having great AB’s up and down the lineup, starting with a Z-Mac and Tork every day before I get up there."
Indeed, Zach McKinstry, while slumping of late, drew a walk to set the stage for Carpenter's homer Monday night. And Spencer Torkelson seems to have benefited from having Carpenter hit behind him, like when they went back-to-back to help seal the Tigers' series win over the first-place (and sub-.500) Twins last weekend. Torkelson has three homers and a .928 OPS dating back to Carpenter's return, over which time the Tigers have put up more than five runs -- five runs!! -- per game.
And know who else has sparked this offensive surge? 40-year-old Miguel Cabrera, who slapped two more hits Monday night and is hitting an equally cool .395 over his last 12 games. His knees might creak, but there's still a little crack in his bat.
"I mean, look at who that guy is," said Carpenter. "We all go when he goes. So it's awesome to see what he’s doing."
With four wins in their past five games, all against AL Central opponents, the Tigers are officially the hottest team in the worst division in baseball. They have five more division games on deck this week, capped off by three against the Twins. With a record of 12-30 against teams that are .500 or better, the Tigers shouldn't be going anywhere. But they might be going somewhere in a division where they're 13-8, best in the AL Central, and just four games out of first.
Lest we get ahead of ourselves, Carpenter is proving the value of patience. He admits he was jumpy at the start of this season, when he was lunging and flailing at off-speed pitches. He was even a little too eager, he said, on the first couple swings of his final at-bat Monday night. Hungry for the heater, Carpenter tapped a changeup foul, then swung through another. On the next one, he said he decided to "start early and trust it to get to me." His faith and his talent took care of the rest.
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