The Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies will both try to get back on track when they start a three-game series on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Detroit comes in on the heels of a three-game sweep at the hands of the White Sox due to some cold bats, while Philadelphia has won two straight but hasn’t picked up many wins since mid-May.
Find out which club has the edge in our Tigers vs. Phillies MLB picks and predictions for Monday, June 5.
Tigers vs Phillies odds
Tigers vs Phillies predictions
The Detroit Tigers dropped three straight to the White Sox this weekend while scoring just three runs in the process — a trend that’s led to Detroit picking up just one win in its last six games.
The Tigers scored just 12 runs in those contests — the second-worst mark in the majors over the last week ahead of only the Cardinals (11). Coincidentally, that's also where they rank this season with 206 runs scored, just ahead of the Athletics (206).
Looking at Detroit’s lineup, it’s clear why they’ve struggled to produce many runs. Javier Baez (27 RBI) and Spencer Torkelson (26 RBI) are the only players with more than 18 RBI, and neither has been particularly productive of late. Baez has knocked in two runs in his last eight games while Torkelson has five RBI over his last 13 appearances.
The Philadelphia Phillies will be sending Aaron Nola to the mound and while the right-hander has struggled over his last few appearances, he's produced six quality starts in 12 outings.
With Detroit’s offense at a standstill, Nola won’t need to do anything special tonight to keep the Tigers' bats quiet.
My best bet: Tigers team total Under 3.5 (+100 at BetMGM)
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Tigers vs Phillies moneyline analysis
The Phillies opened as the big favorite at -202 on the moneyline and saw that number jump as high as -250 at some books by Sunday night.
With the Tigers coming up empty at the plate and a struggling Joey Wentz getting the start for Detroit, Philadelphia looks like the easy pick tonight.
Wentz posted a poor 8.03 ERA and a 1.99 WHIP through six starts in May, allowing at least five earned runs in three of those starts. He was much better in his last outing as he gave up just one run to the Rangers on Wednesday but he surrendered seven hits over 4 1/3 innings and was lucky to get out unscathed.
Philadelphia’s bats were booming against the Nationals in their three-game set this weekend as the Phillies averaged 7.33 runs per contest.
Nick Castellanos had two homers and five RBI in the opener and Kyle Schwarber had a two-home run, six-RBI performance in the final meeting — needless to say, the Phillies should have more than enough firepower to light up Wentz.
Tigers vs Phillies Over/Under analysis
The total for tonight’s ballgame opened at 9 and though the Phillies could run up the score against Wentz, I foresee a weak Tigers offense leading to the Under cashing in this one.
The Tigers have scored three runs or fewer in four straight games and six of their last eight. Meanwhile, the Phillies have gotten some strong pitching of late, allowing four runs or fewer in seven of their last nine contests.
At the same time, it’s unlikely that Philadelphia runs away with it as they’ve scored 8+ runs just once in their last 14 games.
Unsurprisingly, the Under is 4-0 in Detroit’s last four games and 5-0 in the club’s last five contests against a right-handed starter.
Tigers vs Phillies game info
| Location: | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA |
| Date: | Monday, June 5, 2023 |
| First pitch: | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Bally Sports Detroit, NBCS-Philadelphia |
Starting pitchers
Joey Wentz (1-5, 7.28 ERA): The southpaw is averaging just 4 1/3 innings per appearance this year and has yet to deliver a quality start in 11 outings. Wentz has surrendered at least three earned runs in seven of his starts and 5+ in five of them.
Aaron Nola (4-4, 4.70 ERA): Nola had a solid start to his campaign but trailed off in May, allowing at least four earned runs in four of his six starts last month. The veteran has given the Phillies plenty of length, though, as he’s pitched through the sixth inning 10 times and through the seventh on four occasions.
Latest injuries
Trend to know
The Under is 4-0 in Nola’s last four starts when his opponent scores two runs or less in their previous game. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Phillies
