The Philadelphia Phillies will start the new MLB season on the road as they take on the new-look Texas Rangers in an afternoon game at Global Life Field in Arlington, Texas. With that said, America's favorite pastime is finally here, so let's check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Phillies-Rangers prediction and pick, laid out below.

Philadelphia came up short in their bid to be the World Series champions last year against the Houston Astros. After making some big offseason acquisitions, they have the eighth highest odds to win the World Series in 2023. They will be looking to get on the right track with an Opening Day win in Arlington, Texas.

Texas had an abysmal season last year and finished with the fourth worst record in the American League. This resulted in a major overhaul this offseason when it came to their acquisitions. Their biggest offseason signing will be on the mound when Jacob deGrom looks to give the Rangers their first opening-day win since 2020.

Here are the Phillies-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Phillies-Rangers Odds

Philadelphia Phillies: +116

Texas Rangers: -134

Over: 6.5 (-105)

Under: 6.5 (-115)

How To Watch Phillies vs. Rangers

TV: MLB.tv

Stream: fuboTV

Time: 4:05 PM ET/1:05 AM PT

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Why The Phillies Could Win

The Phillies made a surprising run at the World Series in 2022 and are looking to make it back there this season. They bolstered their lineup and pitching staff with the additions of Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker, Matt Strahm, and Craig Kimbrel.

On the mound for the Phillies is their ace Aaron Nola, who despite having an 11-13 record last year, came in towards the top of the league in ERA and strikeouts. He will be looking to mow down the Rangers lineup this Thursday afternoon and get the Phillies back on track for another World Series run.

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Why The Rangers Could Win

Talk about an overhaul for the Rangers. They were an absolute disgrace last year, finishing the season with just a 68-94 record. Since they did so poorly, they decided to go out and get some reinforcements over the offseason, especially in their starting rotation.

The Rangers were able to land one of the biggest free agents available in the aforementioned deGrom. They were also able to add some support in that starting rotation behind deGrom, signing Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, and Jake Odorizzi as well. The Rangers lineup remains dangerous with Marcus Semien and Corey Seager leading the way. A win here could really pave the way for a successful season in Texas.

Final Phillies-Rangers Prediction & Pick

The Phillies were one of the better road teams in 2022, and given the additions that they made in the offseason, I expect that to carry over into the 2023 season, especially at the beginning of the year. This game will be relatively close with two of the better pitchers in the league on the mound going against one another in Nola and deGrom. With that said, I trust the Phillies stacked lineup and bullpen to get the job done against a Rangers team that is still unproven, and at dog money, you can't go wrong here.

Final Phillies-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Philadelphia Phillies +116