DETROIT -- Tigers manager A.J. Hinch threw a surprise into his lineup Saturday, batting Kerry Carpenter in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career, with Spencer Torkelson batting second for the first time this season.
It wasn¡¯t about getting Carpenter the first at-bat of the game against crafty Royals right-hander Seth Lugo, Hinch explained before the Tigers¡¯ 3-1 win. It was about the 19th at-bat, the one that begins the third trip through the order. As opponents go to lefty relievers earlier in games to combat Carpenter, this was Hinch¡¯s way to ensure Carpenter gets a third at-bat against a righty.
¡°When you look at the 19th hitter of the game, I know Lugo is going to be in longer than that, if they act the way they¡¯ve always acted with him,¡± Hinch said beforehand. ¡°He¡¯s going to get his 100 pitches, but that third at-bat comes around pretty quickly.¡±
The 20th batter, Torkelson, hit a three-run home run that turned the game in the fifth inning. The 19th batter, Carpenter, set him up. The combination was the difference in a duel between two starters who spin an array of breaking balls -- three curveballs for Lugo, three sliders for Casey Mize.
It¡¯s also a snapshot of why the Tigers, whose late-season run last year came at times in spite of their offense, have tormented opposing starters for much of this season. They handed Lugo his first loss to the Tigers in five meetings since 2023.
¡°It¡¯s huge,¡± said Torkelson. ¡°We can definitely build off of that and get confidence. He might have his ¡®A¡¯ stuff that day, but we don¡¯t give in, we just keep grinding. It only takes one mistake.¡±
The way Lugo flummoxed Tigers hitters, tossing 10 different pitches while rarely letting the pitch clock tick down to single digits, the third turn into the order came around quickly. Lugo held Detroit to a Dillon Dingler double and two walks through four scoreless innings before Javier B¨¢ez singled with one out in the fifth.
After Lugo struck out No. 9 batter Ryan Kreidler, up came Carpenter. He had just missed a first-pitch fastball to lead off the game, flying out to center, and grounded out on a tough slurve to begin the third.
¡°I was seeing him well,¡± Carpenter said. ¡°But the key with him for me is to just be able to see everything right out of the hand. He just throws so many pitches. You have to let it travel.¡±
Lugo threw his full menu at Carpenter: First-pitch slurve at 3,158 rpm, slow curve at 72 mph, then a curveball at 3,079 rpm. Carpenter fouled off the first and took the next two for balls. After fouling off a sinker off the plate, he fouled off another curveball over the plate at 3,217 rpm.
¡°With two strikes, I just wanted to move the lineup, get Tork up there,¡± Carpenter said, ¡°because he¡¯s pretty special right now.¡±
Lugo went back to the slurve to try to finish him off, sending it dropping off the outside corner. Somehow, Carpenter got enough to loft a single into left field.
¡°He¡¯s either throwing that curveball below or back door like that,¡± Carpenter said, ¡°and I didn¡¯t want to get rung up. It was probably a ball, but I knew I can do that when I¡¯m on time, so I just wanted to do that.¡±
Up came Torkelson, who had battled Lugo for eight pitches across five pitch types before striking out in the third inning. This time, Lugo pounded him with slurves on the outside corner. Torkelson whiffed on the first and fouled off the other two, including a 3,166-rpm spinner to extend his at-bat.
¡°It might have looked like I was trying to do too much, but I really wasn¡¯t,¡± Torkelson said. ¡°He¡¯s just nasty, and I was trying to shoot something the other way and help Carp and Javy pay off those at-bats, because those were huge at-bats.¡±
Then Torkelson got Lugo¡¯s one mistake, a splitter that hung over the plate.
"I thought it was a decent pitch selection, but bad execution,¡± Lugo said. ¡°The split got me out of a jam in the second. That was working pretty good, except for the one."
Torkelson, looking for an opposite-field hit, pounced and pulled it deep to left.
¡°I knew I got it,¡± Torkelson said, ¡°but it was a little high at first.¡±
Torkelson became just the fifth Tiger in the Comerica Park era (since 2000) to homer seven times in the first 21 games of a season, joining Miguel Cabrera (2012), Brandon Inge (2009), Curtis Granderson (2009) and Chris Shelton (2006).