Tigers Lineup Kept Afloat by Kerry Carpenter's Dominant Return From Injury
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The Detroit Tigers have had a rough stretch as a team over the last month or so as they try to find their form and get back to being one of the better teams in baseball.
As things start to slip in terms of their lead in the division and status as a true American League contender, there's only player who has somewhat kept them afloat over the last couple of weeks.
When Kerry Carpenter hit the injured list to recover from a nagging hamstring issue which has limited him for huge chunks of the season, it was just the latest in a long line of injuries for the team.
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Missing Carpenter proved to be the most significant though, and since his return, the offense has been significantly more productive, even though they have not been doing a ton of winning.
Detroit dropped the series to a rebuilding Minnesota Twins team with another defeat on Wednesday afternoon, but for the second time in three games, the slugger went long once again.
How Good Has Carpenter Been Since Returning to Tigers?
In the nine games since Carpenter has returned from the IL, he has been by far the most important player in the lineup. Slashing .407/.429/.1.037 with four home runs and nine RBI, he's collected 11 hits including three doubles and even a triple, showing that the hamstring is just fine.
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On the season, he now owns a slash line of .271/.298/.545 with 20 home runs and 41 RBI across 87 games. Carpenter is third on the team in home runs trailing right behind Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson despite the fact he's played more than 20 games less than his fellow mashers.
Make no mistake though, the 27-year-old cannot carry the offensive load completely on his own. His teammates who have slumped miserably over the last month -- Greene especially -- need to find their stride again if this team is going to accomplish anything legitimate in October.
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Carpenter is very clearly a critical factor in helping this team win, perhaps more so than some fans may have thought when he was struggling through the injury. With that being said though, the rest of the squad simply need to get on his level if they are going to turn this rough stretch around.
In the meantime though, it certainly is a luxury to have Carpenter back in the lineup and performing the way fans and the team know he's capable of.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.