Dodgers vs. Rangers Betting Odds, Player Props and Picks for April 18

The last two World Series winners go head-to-head this weekend in Texas. 

The opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers carries an eye-popping pitching matchup with Yoshinobu Yamamoto opposing Jacob deGrom.

Only Yamamoto comes into Friday with ace-like numbers. DeGrom dealt with a decent bit of struggles in his last two starts.

DeGrom allowed seven earned runs across those two appearances, and he’s in for more challenges against a Dodgers lineup that comes in on a high after posting 19 runs in three games against the Colorado Rockies.

Jacob deGrom Over 1.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-145)

DeGrom allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits in his last two outings. 

Last Friday’s start against the Seattle Mariners was the more concerning of the two appearances because he gave up two home runs and walked four batters. 

The strikeout power we’ve known deGrom for hasn’t been there yet in 2025. He has 13 punchouts, and six of them came in the opener against the Boston Red Sox, who have the highest strikeout rate in the majors. 

The Dodgers are tied for the fifth-best team OPS, and they enter Friday level with the New York Yankees for the most home runs with 34. 

All it takes is one swing for the Dodgers to plate multiple runs and cash the over on deGrom’s earned runs allowed prop. 

Los Angeles has already scored six or more runs on 11 occasions this season, and in its last series against Colorado it put up four or more runs against each starter. 

DeGrom is obviously on a different level than the Rockies hurlers, but he isn’t the dominant deGrom of old either. 

Freddie Freeman Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125)

Freddie Freeman has one of the longest batter-versus-pitcher histories in the majors against deGrom.

Freeman has a .242 batting average, three home runs and six RBI in 66 career at-bats versus deGrom. A majority of those at-bats came while Freeman was in Atlanta and deGrom was a New York Met. 

In general, seeing a pitcher more tends to favor the hitter.

But that isn’t the only reason to bet Freeman on Friday night.

The Dodgers first baseman produced three straight multi-hit games in the series against Colorado. 

Dodgers ML (-125) 

The Dodgers have the edge on the mound with Yamamoto. 

The Japanese right-hander carries a 1.23 ERA, and he did not allow an earned run in his last two starts. 

DeGrom isn’t pitching at a Cy Young level yet. There’s more potential for deGrom to display flaws at this juncture in the season. 

DeGrom’s recent home run concessions aren’t great for the matchup, either, as the Dodgers can break the game open with a few long balls, just like Seattle did against deGrom a week ago.