Detroit Tigers at Philadelphia Phillies 3/23/23

The Philadelphia Phillies host the Detroit Tigers for a Grapefruit League Spring Training game at 1:05 p.m. EST on Thursday at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. Bailey Falter is the scheduled starter for the Phillies, while Joey Wentz is expected to take the mound first for the Tigers.

Falter is 0-3 in four starts this spring with a 3.97 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. He has given up 16 hits, walked three batters and struck out nine in 11.1 innings pitched. The 25-year-old lefty appeared in 20 games, starting 16, for the Phillies last season. He went 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 84 IP. Falter struck out 74 batters and walked 17.

Wentz is 0-1 in four appearances, including two starts, with an 8.44 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. He has struck out 14 and walked four in 10.2 IP. The 25-year-old lefty made seven starts as a rookie for the Tigers last season, going 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He struck out 27 and walked 13 in 32.2 IP.

Darick Hall has had a big spring for the Phillies, hitting .318 with a .375 on-base percentage and .705 slugging percentage. He leads the team with five home runs. Edmundo Sosa, Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins have four HRs each. Sosa has hit .516 in 31 ABs.

Entering his second season in the big leagues, Spencer Torkelson is having a fine spring. The 23-year-old first baseman has hit .310 with a .370 OBP and slugged .452

Philadelphia is tied with Baltimore for eighth in the Grapefruit League standings at 13-12. The Phillies are 8-3 at home. They have scored 150 and given up 164. Detroit is two games behind Philadelphia in 10th at 15-12. The Tigers have scored 149 runs and given up 167. The Tigers have two road games Thursday while the Phillies have just one and are at home. That isn’t a formula for a Detroit win. Final Score Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies win 8-3.