The Philadelphia Phillies look to extend their lead atop the NL East this weekend as they begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.
Philadelphia has benefited from tremendous pitching this season, with a couple of its starters in the NL Cy Young race.
Cristopher Sanchez is one of those starters, and my Phillies vs Rangers predictions explain why I expect another dominant performance from the southpaw in our MLB picks and predictions for Friday, August 8.
Phillies vs Rangers prediction
Phillies vs Rangers best bet: Cristopher Sanchez Under 1.5 earned runs (+130 at bet365)
The NL Cy Young odds pursuit is likely coming down to a two-horse race between Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler, but another Philadelphia Phillies starter has also put himself in contention: Cristopher Sanchez.
The 6-foot-6 southpaw will take the mound for Philadelphia in tonight’s series opener against the Texas Rangers as he looks to continue his dominant stretch of play.
Sanchez has held the opposition to Under 1.5 earned runs in seven of his last eight starts and is coming off a scoreless eight-inning outing against the Detroit Tigers last Sunday. I see a similar performance on the cards tonight against a dried-up Rangers offense
Since returning from the All-Star break, Texas ranks 24th in the majors in team batting average (.232) and 23rd in OPS (.669). The Rangers have scored four runs or fewer in five of their last seven contests while averaging just 3.57 runs per game over that span.
Texas also owns the fifth-worst batting average against left-handed pitching this season (.225), so the Phillies southpaw should dominate again tonight.
Phillies vs Rangers same-game parlay (SGP)
Cristopher Sanchez Under 1.5 earned runs
Kyle Schwarber 2+ H+R+RBI
Phillies moneyline
Kyle Schwarber leads MLB with 94 RBI, while his 40 home runs trail only Cal Raleigh (42).
The Phillies slugger is seeing the ball well with a .304 batting average in August and 2+ hits, runs, and RBI in two of his last four games – with three dingers over that span.
A strong start from Sanchez and another productive game from Schwarber will be all the Phillies need to cruise to a win in tonight’s series opener.
Phillies vs Rangers odds
Phillies vs Rangers live odds
Phillies vs Rangers opening odds
- Moneyline: Philadelphia -130 | Texas +110
- Run line: Philadelphia -1.5 (+140) | Texas +1.5 (-165)
- Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-105) | Under 7.5 (-115)
Phillies vs Rangers trend
The Philadelphia Phillies have covered the Run Line in 23 of their last 43 away games (+4.70 Units / 9% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Phillies vs. Rangers.
How to watch Phillies vs Rangers and game info
| Location | Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX |
| Date | Friday, August 8, 2025 |
| First pitch | 8:05 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC Sports Philadelphia, CW33 |
| Phillies starting pitcher | Cristopher Sanchez (10-3, 2.40 ERA) |
| Rangers starting pitcher | Merrill Kelly (9-6, 3.22 ERA) |
Phillies vs Rangers latest injuries
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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