DETROIT (AP) — Kerry Carpenter matched a career-high with four hits and the Detroit Tigers kept their improbable wild-card hopes alive with a 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.
Carpenter came up in the seventh needing a homer for the cycle — the first for a Tiger since Carlos Guillen in 2006 — but hit an infield single.
Tigers starter Casey Mize allowed four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven without walking a batter. Tyler Holton (6-1) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief and Jason Foley got his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth.
Tanner Gordon (0-6) took the loss, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings. In his last two starts, the rookie has allowed 12 runs on 18 hits in four innings.
Riley Greene and Trey Sweeney homered for Detroit (75-71), which improved to 20-8 since Aug. 11. They entered the game three games behind the Minnesota Twins for the last American League wild-card spot.
One night after beating the Rockies 11-0, the Tigers got off to another flying start with six runs in the first. Greene hit his 21st homer, Carpenter had an RBI triple and scored, and Sweeney hit a three-run homer.
Ryan McMahon led off the second with a home run to get the Rockies on the board, but Greene made it 7-1 with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Colorado rallied with three runs in the fifth.
Jake Cave and Nolan Jones led off with singles, and after Mize retired the next two batters, Ezequiel Tovar hit a two-run double to right-center. Brenton Doyle followed with an RBI single, making it 7-4 and bringing Holton out of the Tigers bullpen.
Doyle stole second, but Greene caught McMahon’s foul fly to left before flipping it over the railing and into the crowd.
Holton, Will Vest and Foley finished the game with 4 1/3 shutout innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: RHP Reese Olson, on the injured list since July 21 with a shoulder injury, is expected to throw a bullpen Thursday at which point the team will determine the next steps. Shortstop Javier Báez, who underwent season-ending hip surgery last week, used a cane to walk to the outfield for a team picture before the game.
UP NEXT
The teams finish the three-game series Thursday afternoon with Tigers ace LHP Tarik Skubal (16-4, 2.53) facing RHP Ryan Feltner (2-10, 4.96).
