Carpenter delivers pinch-hit RBI single for Tigers in Game 5, hobbles in first with hamstring injury

CLEVELAND (AP) – Kerry Carpenter delivered for the Tigers again.

Slowed by a hamstring injury, Carpenter hit an RBI single in the fifth inning Saturday to give Detroit a 1-0 lead over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the AL Division Series.

Carpenter, who hit a three-run homer in the second game off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, singled to right-center field off rookie Andrew Walters to score Trey Sweeney, who walked to lead off the entrance

On his way to first, Carpenter favored his leg, limping like Kirk Gibson did when he connected for his famous walk-off homer to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Tigers waited carpenter could come off the bench to help the series finale win or otherwise. After his single, he fist-bumped his teammates who were celebrating in the dugout.

Carpenter was injured while running the bases in Game 4 on Thursday night.

The quick turnaround and MLB’s decision to move the start time up seven hours, citing the possibility of inclement weather, didn’t give him much time to recover.

But manager AJ Hinch said Carpenter took batting practice Friday and felt better.

“He’s sore and he’s dealing with some discomfort and he’s not feeling 100 percent, but he’s also feeling a little bit of adrenaline for Game 5 in the ALDS,” Hinch said before the game. “So it’s a good counter to not feeling at your best, and hopefully that adrenaline and that excitement overrides the issues that he’s dealing with.

“I was happy with how he hit. I was happy with how he hit. Our hitters felt like he was making a complete turn. And this morning when he woke up, he was on the bus early and he was cheers. So when I saw the big smile, I felt more and more optimistic that we would have good news.”

Carpenter entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of game 2and in his second at-bat hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Clase as the Tigers won 3-0 to even the series.

The Tigers need Carpenter’s power. He hit 18 homers this season despite playing in just 87 games due to a lower back stress fracture that sidelined him from May 26th to August 13th.

With the Guardians starting lefty Matthew Boyd for Game 5, Carpenter, who bats from lefty, probably wouldn’t have started anyway. He was benched for most of Game 2 before coming in as a pinch hitter in the eighth.

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