Kerry Carpenter doubled, homered, and drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 9–5 on Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park. Detroit, which entered the matchup as -120 betting favorites, secured the victory behind a fast start at the plate and steady pitching from starter Casey Mize.
The Tigers struck first in the opening inning, stringing together four consecutive two-out hits. Riley Greene and Zach McKinstry each delivered RBI singles to give Detroit a 2–0 lead. In the second, Carpenter extended the advantage to 3–0 with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Detroit’s offense broke the game open in the fourth inning. Javier Báez reached on an error and moved to third on a single by Cole Keith. Gleyber Torres followed with an RBI single before Carpenter launched his 21st home run of the season, a three-run shot to right-center, putting the Tigers ahead 7–0. Carpenter, who has excelled against right-handed pitching this year, now holds a .600 slugging percentage in such matchups, ranking third in the majors behind Shohei Ohtani (.688) and Aaron Judge (.682) among players with at least 500 plate appearances against righties.
The Angels got on the board in the fifth when Nolan Schanuel hit a two-run homer to left off Mize, his 18th of the year. In the sixth, Logan O’Hoppe’s RBI single cut the deficit to 7–3. Detroit responded in the bottom of the inning when Greene hit a two-run homer, his 20th of the season, restoring a six-run cushion.
Los Angeles trimmed the lead again in the eighth on a two-run home run from Luis Rengifo, but the Tigers’ bullpen held on to secure the win.
Mize improved to 11–4 after allowing two runs on three hits over five innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out five, keeping the Angels off balance through most of his outing. Jack Kochanowicz took the loss for Los Angeles, falling to 3–10 after surrendering seven runs on 10 hits in just over three innings.
The game also included a couple of unusual defensive moments in the eighth inning. Angels center fielder Bryce Teodosio, who missed Saturday’s game after hitting his head on the outfield fence during Friday’s series opener, collided with both left fielder Taylor Ward and right fielder Jo Adell on separate fly balls. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and all three players remained in the game.
With the win, Detroit improved to 59–62, taking two of three games in the weekend series. The Tigers now head out on the road to face the Chicago White Sox, with right-hander Chris Paddack (4–10, 4.91 ERA) scheduled to start Monday night’s opener. Detroit’s upcoming schedule features 13 road games in its next 19 contests after playing 13 of the past 16 at home.
The Angels, now 55–63, return home for a three-game series against the crosstown rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Right-hander José Soriano will start Monday’s opener as the Angels look to regroup following the series loss in Detroit.
