The Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers meet Thursday to open a 3-game interleague series at Globe Life Field. First pitch in the Opening Day tilt is at 4:05 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Phillies vs. Rangers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting of 2023. Texas won 4 meetings in 2022.
The Phillies lost the 2022 World Series to the Houston Astros (4-2). Philadelphia wrapped up string training 16-15 and lost 1B Rhys Hoskins for the season to a torn ACL.
The Rangers failed to make the playoffs last year as they found themselves near the bottom of the American League with a 68-94 record. Texas is expected to struggle again this season and has the 4th longest odds to win the AL West.
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Phillies at Rangers projected starters
RHP Aaron Nola vs. RHP Jacob deGrom
Nola went 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9 through 205 IP in 2022.
- Allowed 1 or fewer runs in 4 of his final starts in 2022.
- Has never faced the Rangers in his career.
deGrom finished 2002 with a 5-4 record, 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9 and 14.3 K/9 across 64 1/3 IP as a member of the New York Mets.
- Tossed 6-scoreless innings and earned a victory in his lone start vs. the Phillies last season.
- Missed the second half of the 2021 season with UCL inflammation and was sidelined until August last year with a stress reaction in his right scapula.
Phillies at Rangers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:48 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Phillies +118 (bet $100 to win $118) | Rangers -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Phillies +1.5 (-200) | Rangers -1.5 (+165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Phillies at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 5, Phillies 4
Moneyline
The Rangers were 34-47 at home in 2022, while the Phillies went 40-41 on the road. Nola was 5-9 in 16 road starts last season.
deGrom had a ridiculous 0.75 WHIP in his 11 starts to finish the year as he looked like he had returned to his dominant form. However, he won’t likely pitch deep into the game given how early in the season it is — but it will be deep enough to give the Rangers a win on Opening Day.
BET RANGERS (-135).
Run line/Against the spread
The Rangers had the 4th-best ATS record in all of baseball at 88-74 ATS, while the Phillies went a respectable 92-87 ATS (including the postseason).
Expect a close game with two aces on the mound, but this early in the season on short leashes we may see more bullpen action than we might expect.
Betting the Phillies +1.5 (-200) to cover doesn’t have enough value and I don’t feel good enough with a multi-run win for Texas -1.5 (+165) without seeing more from them this season.
PASS.
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Over/Under
Two of their 4 games against each other last season had 7 or more runs.
The starters won’t go deep into the game, so expect some runs to be allowed by the bullpens.
BET OVER 6.5 (-115).
For sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Plus, try out the USA TODAY Parlay Calculator and please gamble responsibly.
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