Carpenter plays with hamstring injury and hits an RBI single for Tigers in playoff loss to Guardians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Playing with a hamstring injury, Kerry Carpenter did everything he could for the Detroit Tigers.

Carpenter had a pinch-hit RBI single in the fifth inning of Game 5 of their AL Division Series on Saturday. But he also struck out swinging with the bases loaded in a big spot in a 7-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

Carpenter, 27, who hit a three-run homer in Game 2 off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, laced his single into right-center field off rookie Andrew Walters. He drove in Trey Sweeney, who walked to open the inning.

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

The Tigers were hoping Carpenter could come off the bench to help in the win-or-else series finale. After his single, he pumped his fists at his teammates celebrating in the dugout.

“I know how uncomfortable it was for him,” manager A.J. Hinch said after the loss. “He came up really big with that spot and was able to squeeze three at-bats from him on a day where when I got to the ballpark, I didn’t know if he would do anything. And so for that, our training staff did an incredible job. Carp gutted it out and was available for how I used him.”

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

The quick turnaround — and MLB's decision to move the starting time up seven hours, citing a chance of inclement weather — didn't give him much recovery time.

“I knew he was able to do one of two things,” Hinch said. "If I got him in the DH spot, he could stay in the DH spot and go base to base, albeit uncomfortably. If I hit him in a different spot, then his day was over.

“So the debate in my head going into the game was where is the big at-bat going to come where you either need to extend your lead, get a lead, come from behind or whatever.”

There was no score when Carpenter, who bats from the left side, replaced designated hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy, a righty batter. Carpenter went to the plate again in the sixth with Detroit down 5-2, and he struck out swinging against Hunter Gaddis — leaving the bases loaded.

He also struck out swinging against Clase with a runner on second in the eighth.

Carpenter hit 18 homers this season despite playing in just 87 games because of a lower back stress fracture that sidelined him from May 26 to Aug. 13.

He entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth in Game 2. In his second at-bat, he hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Clase as the Tigers won 3-0 to even the series.

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