Philadelphia Phillies (0-0) vs. Texas Rangers (0-0)
March 30, 2023 4:05 pm EDT
The Line: Texas Rangers -125 / Philadelphia Phillies -111; Over/Under: 6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Texas Rangers meet Thursday in MLB action from Globe Life Park. Philadelphia managed to go 87-75 overall last year. The Phillies posted a third-place finish int he National League East with that record. As for Texas, they’re coming off a 68-94 run last year, landing in fourth place in the American League West. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia started out rough last year, going 21-29 over the first two months of the campaign. The Phillies got better after Rob Thomson took the helm and finished out at 65-46. Philadelphia made the playoffs for the first time since 2010, upsetting the Cardinals and Padres to advance to the World Series. Philly ended up losing in six games to the Astros.
For the Thursday starting pitcher job, the Phillies will turn to Aaron Nola. In his 32 starts last year, Nola put up a 11-13 record with a 3.25 ERA. In 205.0 innings Nola posted 235 strikeouts. In Spring Training he managed a 2-1 record this year, posting a 6.75 ERA in 13.1 innings of work.
Texas Rangers
Over on the Texas side, they had a forgettable season in 2022. The Rangers managed a rough 68-94 run, with plenty of one-run losses mixed in. That said, Texas did improve on 2021’s record and finished eight games ahead of the A’s in the AL West standings.
As starting pitcher in Thursday’s game, the Rangers will go with Jacob deGrom. Last year in 11 starts deGrom was 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA. In 64.1 innings he managed 102 strikeouts. This spring deGrom was 1-0 in two starts with a clean 0.00 ERA across 6.2 innings.
The Phillies are 7-1 in their last eight after an off day and 27-11 in their last 38 in game one of a series. Philly is 1-4 in their last five overall.
Meanwhile, the Rangers are 2-5 in their last seven at home and 10-27 in their last 37 overall. Texas is 1-4 in their last five in game one of a series.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to take a stab on Texas. The Rangers have some much-needed positivity surrounding the club entering 2023 after a big-spending offseason. Jonah Heim and Nathaniel Lowe will share catching duties and aid the revamped rotation, while Marcus Semien and Corey Seager will headline the bats. Noteworthy production at the plate from that group will go a long way toward improvement for the Rangers. As for the Phillies, they need to reassess their goals for the 2023 season. After eking into the playoffs, the team made it all the way to the World Series last year. That lengthy of a postseason run this season is probably too much to ask, but winning 90 games and contending for a division crown is certainly realistic. They’ll need a healthy Bryce Harper and big contributions from their other notable hitters to make it happen, though. For now, I think Texas has a decent shot at a win here.
