Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter vs left-handed pitchers? Here’s the plan
Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal talks pitching development
Ace pitcher Tarik Skubal joined our “Days of Roar” podcast as spring training began to discuss development of his pitches, more. Full episode out now.
LAKELAND, Fla. — Kerry Carpenter, a left-handed hitter, wants more opportunities to hit against left-handed pitchers this season after being limited to right-handed pitchers since making his MLB debut in August 2022.
The Detroit Tigers are open to expanding Carpenter’s role on offense, but won’t abandon their best strategy for scoring runs.
“I think the goal is to put ourselves in the best position to score the most runs,” manager A.J. Hinch said Saturday morning, referencing left-handed hitters Carpenter, Colt Keith, Jace Jung and Parker Meadows, “and they’re going to get opportunities, and probably more opportunities moving forward, but more doesn’t mean every one. We have an open mind as to how to best use our roster, but I stand behind that my job is to use the roster the best way I can.”
Here’s the big news: Carpenter is going to ask Hinch to play him against every left-handed starter and reliever in spring training games, and when he’s not in games, he wants to be able to walk to the backfields to take swings against left-handers from his own team.
“That’s my plan,” Carpenter said.
He hopes to become an everyday player.
Carpenter already crushes right-handed pitchers, so his value would skyrocket — from a Joc Pederson-caliber player to a Yordan Alvarez-caliber player — if he can hit left-handers.
“I believe that I can do it,” Carpenter said Saturday afternoon, “because I had a lot of success against lefties in the minor leagues. Certain guys are tough, but I know I can do it. It’s just getting the opportunity and taking advantage of it.”
Carpenter was one of the best players in baseball against right-handed pitching in 2024. His .994 OPS ranked fifth among position players with at least 250 plate appearances against right-handers, trailing only Aaron Judge (1.132), Shohei Ohtani (1.128), Bobby Witt Jr. (1.012) and Juan Soto (.999).
He hit .305 with 17 home runs and a .994 OPS in 264 plate appearances against righties.
But he hit .107 with one home run and a .408 OPS against lefties.
Over his three-year MLB career, Carpenter has received 734 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers and 134 plate appearances against lefties. The results: a .290 average, 40 homers and an .897 OPS against righties versus a .202 average, four homers and a .588 OPS against lefties.
Simply put, Carpenter has performed significantly better against righties, which is why he sits against left-handed starters and gets pulled against lefty relievers.
“We know he’s a massive threat, whether he’s in the box or coming off the bench,” Hinch said. “When I make those moves, maybe I’ve done a poor job of trying to convince you guys it’s about the guy coming off the bench, and I think that is going to continue to be the case as we try to adapt to how teams are approaching us.”
The right-handed hitters off the bench: Andy Ibáñez hit .292 with an .802 OPS against lefties; Justyn-Henry Malloy hit .250 with an .893 OPS against lefties; Spencer Torkelson hit .235 with a .798 OPS against lefties.
“Just because I pinch-hit for him doesn’t mean I don’t trust him,” Hinch said of Carpenter.
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In 2024, Hinch made strategic pinch-hit moves when opposing teams brought in a left-handed reliever to face Carpenter in the later innings. This forced Hinch to replace Carpenter with a right-handed hitter off the bench, such as Ibáñez.
In 2025, Hinch wonders if opposing teams will start using left-handed relievers against Carpenter as early as the fourth or fifth inning. This would force him to either let Carpenter face a lefty or remove him from the game much earlier than usual.
“Are they going to bring in pitchers in the fourth and fifth trying to chase Carp out of the game? Maybe,” Hinch said. “But I go back to Andy Ibáñez getting a base hit off (Houston Astros left-handed reliever Josh) Hader and crushing lefties. That role is still going to be available to him.”
The pinch-hit strategy worked for the Tigers in 2024, but Hinch plans to keep an open mind to giving Carpenter (and other left-handed hitters) more opportunities against lefty pitchers.
It’s exactly what Carpenter wants.
He needs to prove he can be successful against lefties.
Until then, his value is limited as a platoon player.
“Getting the at-bats here in spring training is going to help in just seeing it as much as I possibly can right now,” said Carpenter, who will be eligible for salary arbitration for the first time after the 2025 season, “and the results are going to be what they are. Coming to peace with that is all I can do.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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After getting absolutely annihilated in his previous start on Monday in Minnesota to the tune of 11 runs in just 1.2 innings, Garrett Crochet is set to retake the mound today and convince us all that everything will be fine as far as he and his health are concerned.
Unfortunately, he won’t just be battling the Tigers. Mother Nature is once again destined to play a roll in today’s match up, and here’s how the radar looks inside of an hour from first pitch:
The good news is the initial batch of heavier precipitation has moved out and east of Boston, but more unsettled weather still lurks to the west ahead of a slow moving front. That mess will push through eastern Massachusetts over the next several hours, filling in the current dry slot. While this incoming precipitation won’t be as heavy as what fell at times earlier today, it will come attached with colder and windier conditions, so a miserable weather game lies ahead (if they even try and play through it at all — The Yankees did not and waited around for three hours before starting their game against the Royals at 4:20pm). The other option will be to just wait until after sunset when it will be dryer, but still very cold and windy.
When they do get started, today’s lineup includes Roman Anthony leading off in leftfield, Andruw Monasterio at first base, and Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, and Marcelo Mayer all starting on the bench with an opposing left-handed starter on the mound in Framber Valdez for Detroit.
OTM’s own pitching guru Jacob Roy will be around later to handle the postgame wrap and tell us if we should should be freaking out or breathing a sigh a relief when it comes to Crochet.
The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.
Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer
Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.
In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.
Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.
A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.
The Pistons could use someone like Kennard
Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.
Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.
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A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.
Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.
The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.
In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.
None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.
Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.
The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.
In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.
The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.
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