Lefty on lefty? Carpenter intent to show he can hit southpaws
Jason Beck
@beckjasonLAKELAND, Fla. -- The sinker from Phillies left-hander Jes¨²s Luzardo came in on Kerry Carpenter at 94 miles per hour. Carpenter fought it and laced a line drive into left field for an opposite-field, one-out single, igniting a six-run second inning in Wednesday¡¯s 17-7 victory.
It won¡¯t go into history with Carpenter¡¯s home run off Emmanuel Clase in last year¡¯s AL Division Series. But for Carpenter¡¯s purposes this spring, it makes his point.
After crushing right-handed pitching for two years, Carpenter wants a chance to bust out of a platoon role and face some lefties. The possibility has been a topic since the start of camp.
¡°I believe that I can do it,¡± Carpenter said last month. ¡°I had a lot of success off of lefties in the Minors, so it's in there. The same guys I faced down there are up here now. There are certain guys that are tough, but I know I can do it. It's just getting the opportunity and taking advantage of it.¡±
Carpenter has backed it up. When Tigers pitchers and hitters met in live batting practice, Carpenter got a session each day against left-handers. He held his own against non-roster invitee Matt Gage, but his session against Tarik Skubal a couple days later went as expected.
Manager A.J. Hinch isn¡¯t going to pit him against lefties near Skubal¡¯s level. The debate comes when the Tigers face a lefty who might be hittable, or an opponent pulls a right-handed starter early in favor of a good but not great lefty reliever. The latter might be the counter-action to the matchup-based strategy Hinch used so well last season.
¡°Are they going to bring in pitchers in the fourth and fifth trying to chase Carp out of the game? Maybe,¡± Hinch said. ¡°I'm kind of grading myself on the leverage decisions. But I go back to Andy Ib¨¢?ez getting a base hit off of [Josh] Hader [in the AL Wild Card Series], Andy Ib¨¢?ez crushing lefties. That role is still going to be available for him. And Carp and Colt [Keith] and Jace [Jung] and others to some extent are all wanting to show me and us that they deserve to stay in the lineup. And a motivated player who wants to prove something is a good thing.¡±
That has been Hinch¡¯s consistent answer: It¡¯s not about the player being pulled for a pinch-hitter, but the value of the pinch-hitter against the pitcher.
¡°Just because I pinch-hit for them doesn't mean I don't trust them,¡± he said. ¡°But I think the goal is to put ourselves in the best position to score the most runs. And they're going to get opportunities, and probably more opportunities moving forward. But more doesn't mean every one, and more doesn't come for free. There's a cost that comes with every decision, and we'll be weighing that and evaluating. Last year's evaluation doesn't have to be this year's evaluation, and so we have an open mind as to how to best use our roster.¡±
The rest of Wednesday¡¯s second inning made Hinch¡¯s point: Jahmai Jones, Ib¨¢?ez and Gleyber Torres homered on consecutive pitches from Luzardo. Jones, in camp as a non-roster invitee for his ability to hit lefties, drove in Carpenter with a grand slam.
With a full, healthy roster, Hinch has matchups to counter what -- or who -- opponents throw at him. But since those early comments, Matt Vierling¡¯s rotator cuff muscle strain and Parker Meadows¡¯ upper-arm nerve issue have changed the Opening Day roster competition. Instead of Vierling potentially platooning with Jace Jung at third base, Ib¨¢?ez looks likely to pair with Jung. Instead of switch-hitting Wenceel P¨¦rez competing for an extra outfield spot, he could be the primary center fielder if Meadows isn¡¯t ready to open the season; Meadows¡¯ status remains wait-and-see.
Ib¨¢?ez is clearly a strong matchup against a lefty over Carpenter. But is Jones, who has a career .643 OPS off lefties in the Majors but hit 7-for-23 with a double, triple and homer against them in limited time last year with the Yankees? Is Spencer Torkelson, who posted a .798 OPS off lefties last year despite a disappointing season?
Carpenter hit just .107 (3-for-28) off lefties last year with a home run, three walks and 10 strikeouts, compared to .305/.363/.631 off right-handers. In 2023, he hit .235 (16-for-68) off southpaws with two homers, 14 RBIs, six walks and 17 strikeouts, compared to .286/.341/.500 against righties. He missed part of that season with a shoulder injury, then spent part of his rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo facing lefties in order to hone his approach.
The ultimate answer is probably nuanced, even if Carpenter¡¯s work toward it is not.