Free MLB Picks Today: Philadelphia Phillies vs Detroit Tigers 6/5/23

The Detroit Tigers (26-31) take one of the least productive offenses in the league on the road to face the Philadelphia Phillies (27-32) at Citizens Bank Park on Monday for the first of a three-game Interleague series.

The Tigers are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They are coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the White Sox, dropping the finale 6-2 on Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Spencer Torkelson was 1 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.

The Phillies are playing the first of six games at home after concluding a 10-game road trip (4-6). They won two of three against the Nationals in their last series, taking the finale 11-3 on Sunday at Nationals Park.

Drew Ellis went 3 for 3 with two home runs, four runs, and three RBIs. Kyle Schwarber added two home runs and six RBIs. The teams are meeting for the first time since July 24, 2019, when the Phillies finished off a two-game series sweep with a 4-0 victory at Comerica Park.

ON THE MOUND

Joey Wentz (1-5, 7.28 ERA) is in line to get the start for Detroit. The southpaw allowed one run over 4.1 innings in his last start, a 3-2 road win over the Rangers on Wednesday. He yielded seven hits while striking out five and walking one in the no-decision.

AT THE PLATE

The Detroit offense is averaging 3.6 runs per game for the season, the third lowest in the league, with a slash line of .227/.304/.351. Riley Greene leads the team in OPS at .805. The center fielder is slashing .296/.362/.443 with five home runs, 18 RBIs, and 29 runs over 52 games.

Over the last five games, however, Detroit has averaged only 2.4 runs a game while performing worse across the board (.194/.253/.303). Philadelphia is slashing .255/.318/.411 for the season and averaging 4.3 runs per game.

Nick Castellanos leads the team with a .848 OPS. The right fielder has seven home runs, 34 RBIs, and 37 runs scored with a slash line of .310/.352/.496.

The Phils have a .710 OPS against left-handers in 2023. With a .857 OPS over 66 at-bats, Castellanos also has been their best hitter against left-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Detroit is on a three-game losing streak away from Comerica Park, bringing their record to 12-18 in 2023. The Tigers have scored 3.3 runs per game away from home while allowing 4.6 runs.

Philadelphia has gone 14-10 at home this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 4.0. In eight meetings at Citizens Bank Park, Detroit is 5-3 with an average scoreline of 5.6-4.9.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Tigers are second in the AL Central, three games behind the division-leading Twins. The Phillies are fourth in the NL East, eight games behind the Braves.