It should be a good old-fashioned pitchers’ duel at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night as the Philadelphia Phillies open a three-game set against the Texas Rangers. The Phillies are favorites on the MLB odds board against the reigning World Series champions.
The Phillies are off to the best start in baseball with a 34-14 record in late May. They're coming off a sweep of the Nationals after winning three of four against the Mets. Meanwhile, the Rangers have lost seven of their last nine games, but both of those wins have come in their last four contests.
Can the Phils stay hot against Texas? Read on for our Rangers vs. Phillies predictions and MLB picks on Tuesday, May 21.
Rangers vs Phillies prediction
My best bet
Under 8.5 (+100 at BetMGM)
My analysis
The Philadelphia Phillies boast a fantastic starting rotation with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola as their top two pitchers, but it's been Ranger Suarez leading the way. He is 8-0 through nine starts with a sparkling 1.47 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. He's allowed just nine earned runs across his nine starts.
After allowing five earned runs across 11 innings in his first two starts, Suarez has given up just four earned runs in his last seven starts. He's seen his ERA drop from 4.09 to 1.37 in that span. Mind you, three of those earned runs came in one start against the Rangers earlier this month. He's allowed no earned runs in five of his nine starts thus far.
The Texas Rangers are countering with their best pitcher, Jon Gray. The veteran starter also got off to a rough start this season with five earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings in his first start. However, he's allowed just seven earned runs across 48 1/3 innings in his last nine appearances (eight starts).
Gray has held the opposition to no earned runs in just three of his starts but he rarely allows more than one run, which he's done in five starts.
The Phillies have an offense that is capable of putting up a crooked number, but they've been held to five runs or less in three of the last four games and six or less in six of their last eight games.
The Rangers aren't swinging the bats well themselves with a total of 21 runs in their last nine games. They haven't scored more than four runs in a game since a 12-11 win in Oakland on May 8.
Both teams should also have their full complement of bullpen arms available after an off day on Monday.
Rangers vs Phillies same-game parlay (SGP)
Under 8.5
J.T. Realmuto to record a hit
Phillies moneyline
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is red-hot right now with a 10-game hitting streak. In fact, Realmuto has been fairly consistent all season long with at least one hit in 30 of 38 games this season.
We’re also relying on the Phillies to take care of business at home. They’re the best team in baseball and the Rangers are struggling as of late.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Rangers vs Phillies odds
Rangers vs Phillies live odds
Rangers vs Phillies opening odds
- Run line: Texas +1.5 | Philadelphia -1.5
- Moneyline: Texas +143 | Philadelphia -156
- Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8
Rangers vs Phillies spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Phillies are between -160 and -170 on the moneyline as of Tuesday afternoon after opening right around -160.
- The Rangers are currently +143 underdogs after opening around +135.
- The total is set at 8.5 with the Over at -120 and the Under at +100.
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Rangers vs Phillies trend
The Rangers have hit the Under in 20 of their last 36 games (+4.70 Units / 12% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs Phillies.
Rangers vs Phillies game info
| Location: | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA |
| Date: | Tuesday, 5-21-2024 |
| First pitch: | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| TV: | BSSW, NBCSP |
| Rangers starting pitcher: | Jon Gray (2-1, 2.08 ERA) |
| Phillies starting pitcher: | Ranger Suarez (8-0, 1.37 ERA) |
Rangers vs Phillies latest injuries
Rangers vs Phillies weather
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