DETROIT >> Justyn-Henry Malloy doesn’t seem like a prototypical leadoff hitter, at least not in any old-school sense. But he has certainly produced like one.

“I started to think about how it’s a privilege to set the tone,” Malloy said after he again helped spark the Tigers’ offense in a 7-2 romp over the White Sox on a dreary Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park. “To be able to try to set the tone. And of course, when you have Carp and Riley right behind you and you wear them out a little bit and they get a good pitch to hit and they get to eat.

“And then the rest of the lineup eats.

That’s been the formula as the Tigers have won four of five after dropping the first three to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

In Malloy’s first start at the top of the order last Monday in Seattle, after he was hastily summoned early that morning from Toledo, he ignited the offense with a leadoff double, an RBI single, two walks and scored two runs in the Tigers’ first win of the season.

He went 0 for 4 with a walk in the home opener on Friday, but saw 27 pitches, helping to drive White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon out of the game in the fourth inning.

“J-Hen hunted the first pitch in that game, so he wasn’t looking to take (pitches),” manager AJ Hinch said. “You look back at his at-bats and man, he grinded the living you-know-what out of their pitcher from the leadoff spot. He didn’t get a lot of love to show for it but those were five-, six-, seven-, eight-pitch at-bats.”

Malloy was back at the top of the order Saturday and kicked things off with a first-pitch double in a two-run first inning and a two-out walk in the second ahead of Kerry Carpenter’s third home run in two games.

“He’s super impressive,” said Carpenter, who blistered a first-pitch curveball on a line (109-mph exit velocity) inside the foul pole in right field. “I love hitting after him. I’m confident even with two outs when he gets up that I’m going to get an at-bat that inning. He’s going to work the pitcher and he never gives up an at-bat. I’ve always been super impressed with him and his growth this year has been special to watch.

“He’s a great table-setter for us.”

In four games this season, Malloy is 3 for 12 with two doubles, four runs and six walks.

“He knows the strike zone but he’s not a take artist,” Hinch said. “He’s a really good hitter. Some of that comes with aggressiveness, some of it comes with patience and some is a mixture of both. He’s putting up really good at-bats.”

Malloy’s plate discipline was lauded even before he made his debut last season but, as Hinch often points out, there’s more to his offensive profile than drawing walks.

“When a guy controls the zone the way he does, there becomes this infatuation with walks,” Hinch said. “Walks are a byproduct of exactly what he’s trying to do, which is to get a good pitch to hit and hit it. The first pitch he saw today he ambushed it for a double.

“I’m proud of him because his identity gets morphed into a couple of different hitters. But he’s dangerous.”

The Tigers were up 7-1 after three innings, producing seven hits off White Sox right-hander Davis Martin, with the middle of the order doing major damage. Carpenter had the two-run homer. Spencer Torkelson doubled and hit his second homer of the season. Riley Greene was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

“Can we do that all year, just sign up for a two-spot in the first couple of innings and see a couple hundred pitches,” Hinch said. “There’s confidence that grows with that and there’s an identity and belief that comes when you do it a couple of games in a row.”

The White Sox contributed to their own demise in this one, as well.

The three-run third inning was ignited by Torkelson’s homer, but Martin put more meat on the table by walking Colt Keith and hitting Andy Ibáñez.

After Jake Rogers singled to load the bases, still no outs, Trey Sweeney hit a ground ball to first baseman Andrew Vaughn. Vaughn fielded it going to his right and threw home to catcher Korey Lee.

Problem: Lee was standing a few feet in front of the plate, expecting Vaughn to throw to second base and start a potential double play. It was a gift run for the Tigers and extended the inning, allowing Malloy to cap it with a sacrifice fly.

“Any win in the big leagues is awesome,” Carpenter said. “We’ve won four out of five and have a lot of good momentum. Beating teams in our division, beating good teams and hanging with the Dodgers like we did, we feel real confident right now.”

The run-cushion was beneficial because it was day of grind and labor for Tigers starter Reese Olson.

“I think that this was the first time I’ve managed Reese when almost every inning he came in shaking his head mad about something,” Hinch said. “Reese doesn’t get mad often but he didn’t execute at his best today.”

On another cold (46 degrees at game time) and damp day at Comerica Park, Olson’s velocity and spin rates were down on all of his pitches and he struggled to keep them in the strike zone.

“Didn’t feel great mechanically today,” Olson said. “It’s something I’m not worried about. It’s something that’s frustrating to deal with during the game, but I’m happy the way I dealt with it.”

To his credit, Olson soldiered through six innings and made a quality start out of it, allowing two runs and seven hits with three walks.

“I kind of fought and grinded through the outing,” Olson said “But I know the guys (pitching coaches) will have something for me tomorrow and we’ll work on it all week and get back on track for the next start.”

He got some good help from his defense, especially Ibáñez at third base. Ibáñez got Olson out of the second inning, making a diving stop and then starting a 5-4-3 double play from his knees on a ball hit by Jacob Amaya.

It was important play ending Olson’s inning in 11 pitches after he endured a 25-pitch first inning.

“That first inning was key for us to get out of,” Hinch said. “If Reese doesn’t do his part to limit the mess, all of a sudden it’s 2-0, 3-0. We’re playing the infield in with runners at second and third with one out, that inning could’ve been so different if Reese doesn’t lock it in. That was nice to see.”

With the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth, Ibáñez turned a 5-3 double play on a ground ball hit by Luis Robert, Jr., helped by a superb scoop by Torkelson at first.

The White Sox erased a scoring chance for themselves with some foggy-headed baserunning in the fourth inning. Down by six runs, they had runners on first and second with two outs.

Tigers’ catcher Rogers, on the first pitch to Lee, threw a dart to first base and picked off Brooks Baldwin.

“It’s nice to get these wins at home and stack these wins together,” Carpenter said. “We need to keep it going.”

With back-to-back series wins under their belts, the Tigers will go for the sweep Sunday with rookie Jackson Jobe getting the start.