Tigers to promote Ryan Carpenter as 26th man for doubleheader vs. Pirates

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Because the weather has not been particularly kind around these parts to start the Major League Baseball season. The Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates have just one game under their belt. After a second cancellation in three days, the two teams will partake in a split doubleheader on Sunday.

By rule, both clubs are permitted to carry a 26th man on the roster for the day. The Tigers have opted to promote lefty Ryan Carpenter, who will start Game 2.

Carpenter, 27, will be making his major league debut when it toes the slab Sunday evening against the Pirates. The Tigers signed him back in late November to a major league deal, as part of a wave of additions to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. A former seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2011, Carpenter has spent the previous four seasons in the Colorado Rockies’ system. He has a career 4.37 ERA in 155 outings, 128 of which are starts.

Carpenter, who had a slim outside chance of breaking spring camp as part of the Tigers’ rotation, performed well in exhibition play. In four games (two starts), he allowed just three runs over 9.2 innings of work, despite opposing batters hitting .270 against him.

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The rainout from Saturday has tweaked the list of probable starters for the Tigers over the next week or so. Michael Fulmer, who was slated to pitch on Saturday, will pitch Game 1 of the twin bill on Sunday against the Pirates. With the recalling of Carpenter from the minors, Francisco Liriano will make his first start of 2018 on Monday against the Kansas City Royals. And Daniel Norris, who is tabbed as the team’s No. 5 starter coming out of Lakeland, will be available in relief on Sunday.

Additionally, Mike Fiers will make a start down in Lakeland on Monday and is reportedly on track to come off the disabled list on April 4, the earliest he can be activated. The Tigers placed Fiers on the DL prior to the start of the season with back soreness.

Detroit and Pittsburgh found themselves in a wild back-and-forth affair on Friday that last close to five and half hours. The Tigers initially thought they had walked off the Pirates on a JaCoby Jones base hit to right, scoring Nicholas Castellanos. Upon further review, they deemed Castellanos out and the game continued into the 13th inning, where Gregory Polanco clubbed a three-run home run to give Pittsburgh a 13-10 victory on Opening Day.

Game 1 of the doubleheader will start at 1:10 p.m. ET, with Game 2 scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET.