The Detroit Tigers started an important divisional series on Monday against the Minnesota Twins, and outfielder Kerry Carpenter came up with a huge hit in the sixth inning of the game. The Tigers had faced a couple of deficits already, and at this point, they had just tied the game at three after entering the inning down 3-2. Then, Carpenter gave Detroit a two-run lead with a montrous blast into right field. The home run traveled 437 feet, which is a new career-best for Carpenter.

Kerry Carpenter has been on a tear since coming back from injury, and it has been huge for the Tigers. Carpenter has been battling some hamstring trouble since last season, and he recently had to miss some time because of it. It's safe to say that he's doing better as he is hitting .375 since coming back in late July.

Since returning to the game on July 27th, Carpenter was 6-16 with two home runs and four RBIs before Monday's game. In the last week, he is hitting .462. Carpenter is on a tear right now, and his numbers on the season are on the rise. He is hitting .263 with an .816 OPS.

Carpenter was slumping before he was placed on the IL, and it looks like that decision was the right move by the Tigers. Carpenter looks refreshed, and his healthy bat is doing wonders for the Tigers lineup.

Without a healthy Kerry Carpenter in the lineup for Detroit, the team was slumping. The Tigers went on a 1-12 stretch at one point, and their lead in the AL Central division was slashed in half. Since Carpenter returned, the Tigers have looked much better as they have now won five of their last seven games. They have a late lead against the Twins in Game 1 of this three-game series.

Kerry Carpenter and the Tigers have four straight series against teams with losing records as they will face the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox after this series against the Twins, and then they will meet up with Minnesota again. This is a good opportunity for Detroit to win a lot of games. The Tigers are currently eight games up on the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central.

The Tigers and Twins will play two more games in this series after Monday's contest. The two teams will play another evening game in Detroit on Tuesday, and then the series will wrap up on Wednesday afternoon.

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