Tigers' loss to Astros spoils awesome Kerry Carpenter moment after missed call

It took almost no time at all for home plate umpire Austin Jones to rankle Tigers fans on Tuesday, as Detroit tried to keep its hopes of a come-from-behind series win alive. Leadoff man Kerry Carpenter was behind in the count 2-1 during his first at-bat, when Astros pitcher Ryan Gusto spiked a curveball that definitely hit Carpenter in the foot.

It pretty clearly caromed off of his back foot and into the catcher's glove. Carpenter was backing up toward first and pointing at his cleat, but Jones failed to call it a hit by pitch and the at-bat continued.

It took Carpenter just one more pitch — a 94 MPH fastball right at the top of the zone — to make Gusto wish that Jones had just given him that free base. He swatted it and flipped his bat, immediately putting the Tigers up. Fueled likely by a little bit of delicious pettiness, the ball was deposited into the right field seats and Carpenter rounded all four bases instead of settling just for first.

But the lead didn't last.

Kerry Carpenter makes Astros pay for botched HBP call, but Tigers shake in late innings

The Tigers were still leading by the bottom of the sixth, and Gleyber Torres had tacked another run on with an RBI single in the fifth to give Reese Olson, coming off of a great start against the Padres, a little bit of breathing room. Olson only gave up three singles and a walk through his first 5 1/3 innings, but the Astros started to slowly break him down in the bottom of the sixth.

Jose Altuve walked, Olson induced an out, then Isaac Paredes walked. Christian Walker doubled to send Altuve home, which got Olson pulled and replaced by Will Vest, but he was still responsible for the two men in scoring position. Vest, who's been solid out of the Tigers' bullpen this season, didn't have his stuff on Tuesday. He gave up two singles, the first of which scored Paredes and Walker to give the Astros the lead, before getting out of the inning.

He gave up three more in the bottom of the seventh to give the Astros a six-run lead. Even though Torres closed the gap somewhat with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, it wasn't enough to spark a rally, and the Tigers were slapped with a series L after dropping the opener to Houston on Monday.

Hopefully, during the finale on Wednesday afternoon with rookie Jackson Jobe on the bump, the Tigers will be able to stave off a sweep.