Kerry Carpenter swatted a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning on Friday night, but the Tigers still couldn’t overcome the Reds in the opener of their three-game weekend series.
The Tigers held a 5-3 advantage in the seventh inning when a lengthy rain delay struck. When play resumed, the Reds struck for four runs in the home half of the seventh to take a 7-5 advantage. The Tigers stormed right back in the eighth as Spencer Torkelson crushed a solo homer to pull the Tigers within a run. Carpenter then launched a first-pitch fastball from Tony Santillan for a go-ahead 368-foot (97.8 mph EV) two-run shot. He finished the evening 1-for-2. On the season, the 28-year-old slugger is slashing just .221/.321/.500 with six homers and 15 RBI.