It was somewhat of a surprise that Texas was the landing spot for ace pitcher Jacob deGrom, but signing him to a 5-year, $185 million contract is an obvious sign the Rangers are ready to win now. Offshore oddsmakers seem to agree, making the Rangers the Opening Day favorites over a Phillies team that reached the World Series last season.
Before Betting on Opening Day Phillies vs Rangers
Last season didn’t end how Philadelphia would have liked, losing the World Series in 6 games to Houston but it was a nice building block for manager Rob Thomson, who took over the team on June 3rd after Joe Girardi was fired. 2023 will prove if Thomson caught lightning in a bottle last year, or if he is truly that good of a skipper.
The Phillies quest for a trip to another Fall Classic faces an immediate road block up against deGrom, who surprisingly could be even better than his 2X Cy Young winning self away from the bright lights of New York with the Mets. Longevity is always the worry with deGrom who has only started 38 games total the last three seasons – but he seems healthy for the opener at least.
deGrom gets a lot of the attention for this Opening Day matchup, but Thursday also starts an important year for Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, who looks like he’s bounced back from a 4.63 ERA in 2021 to go back to 3.25 in 2022. Nola has a very good offense behind him, especially with the offseason signing of Trea Turner, the 2021 NL Batting Champion.
Philadelphia vs Texas MLB Offshore Betting Odds
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | Phillies (2.20) | Rangers (1.76) | 6.5 | Phillies +1.5 (1.48) | Rangers -1.5 (2.75) |
| Bovada | Phillies (2.13) | Rangers (1.74) | 6.5 | Phillies +1.5 (1.50) | Rangers -1.5 (2.70) |
| BetUS | Phillies (2.24) | Rangers (1.75) | 6.5 | Phillies +1.5 (1.48) | Rangers -1.5 (2.75) |
| SportsBetting.ag | Phillies (2.20) | Rangers (1.76) | 6.5 | Phillies +1.5 (1.48) | Rangers -1.5 (2.75) |
| Pinnacle | Phillies (2.21) | Rangers (1.76) | 6.5 | Phillies +1.5 (1.50) | Rangers -1.5 (2.80) |
| MyBookie | Phillies (2.10) | Rangers (1.74) | 6.5 | Phillies +1.5 (1.47) | Rangers -1.5 (2.70) |
Opening Day Phillies vs Rangers Prediction & Pick
deGrom could be great on Thursday night – but he also could not be out of the pressure of playing in New York but now with added pressure of being the absolute face of a franchise. It’s also Opening Day, so Texas isn’t going to burn out deGrom who has had injury issues in the past – and this Phillies offense is stacked to take advantage of the Rangers bullpen.
