KANSAS CITY -- The Royals had a Nickelodeon Night promotion on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium, featuring not only a slime-style Royals jersey giveaway but people in the ballpark actually getting slimed, albeit by choice.
As Bobby Witt Jr. raced around the bases on a ball down the right-field line that bounced off the sidewall in foul territory and past right fielder Kerry Carpenter, one could not help but feel the Tigers getting proverbially slimed.
“Carp went to go cut off that ball before it got to the wall, and I think it scooted by him,” center fielder Matt Vierling said after the Tigers’ 5-1 loss. “I can understand why he's going for it, because I feel like if he doesn't, if he kind of lays back on that, it's a triple anyway for Bobby.”
The way the Royals hit Burch Smith and Tyler Holton, they would’ve driven in Witt regardless. But the scene of Witt doing it all himself had the greater impact.
“Once I saw it bounce, I go, 'Here we go. He's going to send him,'” catcher Jake Rogers said. ”I kinda was double-taking at [Royals third-base coach] Vance [Wilson] to see what he was going to do, and then once [Zach] McKinstry bobbled it we didn't have a chance. He's a good hitter and he's a gazelle running around the bases, man.”
The two-run inside-the-park homer certainly wasn’t a crushing blow, but it was a gut punch on a night when the Tigers were tasked with hitting Michael Wacha, who entered the game with a 3.32 ERA in 10 career starts against them and improved upon that with seven scoreless innings.
“If I was on that side and I played for the Royals, I would be like, 'Holy cow, that's some great hitting,'” Rogers said. “But on this side, I'm like, 'Man, that's just bad luck.' He happened to be late on a couple heaters and shot it down the line. Look, tip your cap. They're good hitters over there. But at the same time, we made some good pitches in there.”
To add injury to insult, Carpenter left the game in the third inning to get further examination on the shoulder he banged into the sidewall chasing after Witt’s ball.
“I saw him crash into the wall,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “and then he came in and did a little bit of practice swings. He got the infield single [in the second inning]. And then even watching him warm up the next inning, you could tell that it started to get uncomfortable. So when he came in, he checked with the trainers and came out. That’s all I know.”
Vierling talked with him after the play.
“He was kinda talking about it after like he hit the wall pretty hard,” Vierling said. “Just hope he's OK.”
Carpenter, who missed about a month and a half in 2023 with a sprained right shoulder suffered on a home run robbery, injured the other shoulder this time. He has seen more time in the outfield this year, playing twice as many games in the field (24) than at designated hitter (12) as he shows defensive improvement. But he has struggled to return to being a force at the plate, batting .216 (22-for-102) with six home runs, 17 RBIs, 40 strikeouts and a .750 OPS.
Though Carpenter has yet to heat up at the plate, any length of absence would be a blow for a Tigers lineup that needs more production. But add Carpenter to the long list of injured players the Tigers are currently missing, including center fielder Parker Meadows, shortstop/center fielder Javier Báez, second baseman Gleyber Torres and a bevy of pitchers, and it deepens the feeling of a five-game losing streak.
“I don't even know how many guys we have on the IL, but it seems like there's a new one every day,” Rogers said. “Obviously that hurts. You hate to see Kerry go out of the game like that, but hopefully he's all right.
“I think all of us are playing to the best of our abilities and trying to put our head down and play the best we can, stay within ourselves. But look, it's no secret, I think we're a little down and I think we need to come around and get a little spark. We're not clicking on all cylinders.”
Said Vierling: “Obviously we feel for the guys that are going down, but we find a way to weather the storm. I know it's kind of a tough stretch right now, one of the tougher ones, but we just have to find a way.”