Carpenter homers twice, Flaherty wins in Detroit return, White Sox lose third straight game

DETROIT — Kerry Carpenter hit a pair of solo home runs and the Detroit Tigers beat the White Sox 7-4 Friday for their 14th win in their last 17 home openers.

Carpenter’s third multihomer game backed Jack Flaherty (1-0), who allowed one run and three hits while striking out seven over 5⅔ innings in his first Comerica Park start since July 16. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 30, then returned to the Tigers as a free agent for a $35 million, two-year contract.

Riley Greene had three hits, including a solo homer. Greene’s sixth-inning homer had an exit velocity of 114.3 mph, the second hardest-hit ball of his big-league career.

Zach McKinstry, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler also drove in runs before a crowd of 44,735.

Chicago lost its third straight and dropped to 2-5, a year after losing a post-1900-record 121 games.

Brooks Baldwin drove in two runs for the White Sox, who scored three runs in the ninth innings.

Chicago starter Jonathan Cannon (0-1) gave up three runs, three hits and three walks in 3⅔ innings.

The White Sox are coming off baseball's worst season. Will Venable signed up anyway - The Athletic

Key moment

White Sox manager Will Venable replaced Cannon, who threw 88 pitches, with left-hander Brandon Eisert with two out and no one on in the fourth. Eisert gave up Carpenter’s second homer, a Riley Greene double and Torkelson’s RBI single as Detroit’s lead grew to 5-1.

Key stat

Carpenter was Detroit’s first player with multiple homers in the home opener since Prince Fielder hit a pair against the New York Yankees on April 5, 2013.

Up next

White Sox pitcher Davis Martin (0-0), who held the Los Angeles Angels to two unearned runs in his season debut last weekend, will start Saturday along with Tigers pitcher Reese Olson (0-1).

White Sox Minor League Update: Knights overcome early deficit and triumph over Tides

Charlotte moves to 4-0 on the season with the 4-3 victory over Norfolk

The Charlotte Knights battled back from an early deficit to secure a 4-3 victory over the Norfolk Tides. The game featured a few rehab home runs from familiar faces and a controversial call at the plate that could have been a game-changer.

Former Mets’ first-round pick, Justin Dunn, making his first professional appearance since 2023 after recovering from some significant arm injuries, got the start for the Knights. In the top of the third, Gunner Henderson, on a rehab assignment with the Tides, launched a solo home run to give Norfolk a 1-0 lead. Dunn ran into further trouble in the fifth, surrendering another solo shot to Jud Fabian, breaking a 1-1 tie. He then allowed a single, wild pitch, and walk before manager Sergio Santos pulled him from the game. He tossed 4 2⁄3 innings, surrendering three runs on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

Jared Shuster entered for mop-up duty and conceded an RBI single, putting the Tides up 3-1. The southpaw navigated a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and escaped unscathed. Steven Wilson pitched a scoreless seventh, despite allowing a double, and Adisyn Coffey struck out the side in the eighth. Dan Altavilla came out for the ninth, retired the side in order, closed the game, and secured the save for Charlotte.

The Knights’ offense, which had been red-hot over the weekend, taking three games from the Gwinnett Stripers, cooled slightly but ultimately delivered when it mattered. A controversial call went against the Knights early in the contest. In the bottom of the third, Tim Elko walked, and Cal Mitchell doubled off the wall. Elko attempted to score from first, but the umpire called him out at the plate, despite the replay clearly showing he was safe. Sorry, friends, there’s no instant replay in Triple-A. Greg Jones then struck out swinging for the final out, and Charlotte ended the inning unable to push a run across.

The Knights finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when, with one out, Kyle Brnovich hit Chase Meidroth with a pitch. The second baseman promptly stole second base. Tristian Gray followed with a crucial two-out single, scoring Meidroth and tying the game at 1-1