00:00Let's talk about Kerry Carpenter, because even when his swing doesn't look like the classic
00:05powerful one, we've seen on big stages, he can still change a game. On Saturday, facing Cardinals
00:10starter Dustin May, Carpenter saw a changeup off the plate, followed by another changeup,
00:15right on the outside corner. A pitch designed to make him chase early, he reached for it,
00:20made contact, and sent an opposite field loft toward the Tigers' bullpen. He put the bat down
00:25without his usual confident flip. More hopeful than sure, as Carpenter put it afterward,
00:30I knew I got it pretty good, but I kinda reached a little bit for it, I just knew I
00:35got it on the
00:35barrel pretty good, and the ball kinda flies down the lines here. I knew it had a chance,
00:40but I was surprised a little bit. According to StatCast, that 359-foot drive would have been a
00:47home run in nine major league parks. Fortunately for the Tigers' Comerica Park, which plays big in
00:52many other parts of the outfield, was one of them. That two-run homer, the first by a Tiger,
00:56other than Dylan Dingler this season, helped cap a three-run opening inning in what became an 11-6
01:02slugfest win, Carpenter admitted. I was definitely praising God after that, it feels good, especially
01:08after the first couple series, where I was hit or miss and not consistent, not seeing the ball well.
01:14Just five days earlier, the conversation around Carpenter focused on his lead-off struggles.
01:19One for 16 with 10 strikeouts through the first four games, but the worry over his spot in the
01:25batting order overshadowed a larger issue. His swing and the pitches he was chasing weren't going to work
01:30anywhere in the lineup, Carpenter explained. It all kinda goes back to timing for me,
01:36the at-bats where I'm chasing, I think I'm on time, and I'm trying to get on time,
01:40and I'm just like not. It's easy to see why his timing might get off, given how opponents pitch him.
01:46Entering Saturday, Carpenter had seen fastballs on only 38% of the pitches thrown to him this season,
01:53the sixth-lowest rate among major league hitters, with at least 100 total pitches.
01:57His teammate, rookie, Kevin McGonigal, has the lowest at 33.
02:026%, Carpenter has crushed fastballs since his debut, but his success against secondary pitches has been
02:08inconsistent. Some years he holds his own, other years it's a struggle. I'm kinda used to teams trying
02:14to get me to chase, especially with off-speed down, he said. I didn't really notice that,
02:20but it all just is timing. Then, a couple of days ago, his timing improved.
02:27The last couple days I made a good adjustment, Carpenter said, felt like I was actually on time,
02:33let me see the ball better and let me have good direction which is why I could hit an off
02:36-speed
02:37out the other way. It all kinda goes back to timing and being in the right position to hit for
02:41me.
02:41The difference showed up quickly. In Friday's home opener, he hit a 110.3 M1 PH line drive off the
02:49right field fence and later singled up the middle. Over 18 total pitches from three Cardinals pitchers
02:55that day, he didn't swing and miss once. His only strikeout came on a called third strike.
03:01Manager AJ, Hinch noted, when he got called out on strikes, he had some really, really tough pitches
03:07made on him. He was not chasing, and that's okay, he's going to take some strikes. And if it's not
03:12what he's looking for, that's good. Saturday continued the trend. One swing and miss over 17
03:17pitches. Again, Carpenter took a called third strike with two on, but the game was already well
03:22in hand. Almost as big as his home run was the sacrifice fly in his next at-bat against May.
03:29After taking a first pitch cutter high and a second pitch fastball at the bottom of the zone,
03:33he got a cutter in the zone that he could center, bringing McGonagall home. I was definitely just
03:39trying to get it to the outfield, he said. That gave Carpenter three RBIs from the cleanup spot on
03:43Saturday. And if he keeps making decisions and swinging like this, the batting order really
03:48doesn't matter. So, Tigers fans, after seeing Carpenter adjust and deliver like this, do you think
03:58he's found the consistency that makes him a true middle-of-the-order threat no matter where he hits?
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