Kerry Carpenter hits 2 homers in return from IL in Tigers’ rout of Mariners

DETROIT — Kerry Carpenter returned Tuesday from a nearly three-month stint on the injured list hoping to get back to the form the Tigers outfielder was in before a stress fracture in his lower back sidelined him in late May.

“No benchmarks,” Carpenter said. “Just kind of playing at my full potential is my goal. Whatever that may be is whatever it is the rest of the year. I think I was pretty close to my full potential before I went on the IL.”

After two home runs in as many innings off Seattle’s Cy Young candidate, George Kirby, that potential looked pretty vast. The potential for the Tigers offense with him in the middle didn’t look bad, either.

By the time the Tigers — with Carpenter batting second — were done rounding the bases in Tuesday’s 15-1 win, Kirby joined former Tiger Jose Lima as the only pitchers saddled with 11 earned runs in a game at Comerica Park.

Jake Rogers became the first Tiger in 17 years with a seven-RBI game, including a grand slam, and came within a few feet of a triple that would’ve set off a rare catcher cycle watch. Gio Urshela had a four-hit game, and Javier Báez drew a standing ovation at Comerica Park for his sixth-inning home run that put every member of the Tigers starting lineup in the hit column.

What was billed as a Cy Young candidate showdown between Kirby and Tarik Skubal quickly turned into a one-sided statement thanks in no small part to Carpenter, who talked before the game about looking to find his timing at the plate after a five-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo.

Carpenter fanned on a Kirby curveball in the first inning, but connected with a first-pitch 97 mph fastball his next time up to send an opposite-field line drive over the left field fence, fueling a four-run third inning that included a two-run double from Rogers.

Kirby had Carpenter in an 0-2 count an inning later, but left a 2-2 splitter over the plate, which Carpenter waited on and crushed to right for a two-run homer and a 7-1 lead. Kirby stayed in from there until Rogers’ grand slam put Detroit into double digits.

Not since Baltimore’s Scott Erickson at Tiger Stadium on July 6, 1997 had an opposing pitcher given up 11 earned runs in a game to the Tigers, a game that included home runs from Travis Fryman and Brian Johnson. No opposing pitcher had given up 11 runs period since Toronto’s Dustin McGowan gave up 12 runs (10 earned) on Aug. 21, 2005.