With left-handed Matthew Boyd on the mound, Carpenter may not have started anyway, but the left-handed hitting slugger may not be available off the bench due to his hamstring issue. Justyn-Henry Malloy is the designated hitter and will lead off for the winner-take-all contest. The full lineup: DH Malloy, 3B Matt Vierling, LF Riley Greene, 2B Andy Ibanez, 1B Spencer Torkelson, CF Parker Meadows, C Jake Rogers and SS Trey Sweeney.
With the Guardians throwing Matthew Boyd, the Tigers will sit most of their left-handed bats, including Carpenter, Colt Keith, and Zach McKinstry. Justyn-Henry Malloy will DH instead of Carpenter and hit lead-off, while Andy Ibanez will start at second base for Keith and bat third, and Wenceel Perez will start in right field and bat fifth.
The Astros put out their lefty-killer lineup Tuesday, but with right-hander Hunter Brown on the bump, Carpenter will hit near the top of the lineup with Justyn-Henry Malloy. Zach McKinstry is in the lineup in place of Wenceel Perez, and Colt Keith takes over second for Andy Ibanez. The full lineup for the Tigers as they look to clinch a spot in the ALDS against the Guardians: Parker Meadows CF, Carpenter DH, Matt Vierling RF, Riley Greene LF, Keith 2B, Spencer Torkelson 1B, McKinstry 3B, Trey Sweeney SS and Jake Rogers behind the plate.