SEATTLE — Kerry Carpenter is locked in at the plate.
He is recognizing different pitch types, swinging at pitches inside the strike zone and creating damage with his powerful swing. The first two-homer game of his career powered the Detroit Tigers past the Seattle Mariners in Saturday's 6-0 win at T-Mobile Park.
Carpenter, 25, launched his home runs off right-hander George Kirby, an All-Star this season, in the second and fifth innings. He has three homers through two games in the series and 11 homers in 49 games this season.
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The Tigers (41-50) — thanks to Carpenter's big swings — stayed within five games of the Minnesota Twins for first place in the American League Central.