Two NL East Division rivals will square off on Saturday afternoon when the Philadelphia Phillies travel to Washington, D.C., at Nationals Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM ET and will air on MASN and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Phillies aren’t likely to win the NL East. However, they are likely to be in the Wild Card race in the National League. The Phillies have struggled to start the season as they lost their season-opening series at home against the Atlanta Braves 1-2 and their 2^nd series at home against the Cincinnati Reds 1-2. 

The Phillies aren’t producing as many runs as they can, and they enter this game averaging 4.14 runs per game. Philadelphia won seven of the 13 games last season against Washington and are coming off a 4-0 win in Game 1 of the series on Friday. 

The Philadelphia Phillies will look to win their first series with a win in Game 2 of the series when they travel to face the Washington Nationals.

Washington is projected to be one of the worst teams in the National League. It entered the season with an over/under win total of 65.5 games, the second-lowest win total in the League. 

The Nationals have lost their first two series of the season following a 1-2 series loss on the road against the Cincinnati Reds and a 1-2 series loss at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Nationals enter this game on a two-game losing streak following a 0-4 shutout loss in Game 1 of the series on Friday. The teams have alternated wins and losses over the last five games in the series, splitting the previous four contests 2-2. 

The Washington Nationals lost six 13 meetings against the Philadelphia Phillies last season. They will look to avoid their 3^rd straight series loss to start the 2024 MLB season and end their two-game losing streak when they host the Philadelphia Phillies for Game 2 of the series on Saturday afternoon.

WagerWeb lists the Philadelphia Phillies as -170 moneyline favorites on the road against the Washington Nationals in Game 2 of the series on Saturday afternoon. The teams have alternated the previous five games in the series, with Philadelphia having won four of the previous six meetings by an average margin of 3.67 runs per game. Philadelphia has also won 15 of the last 20 road games in the series, including Friday’s 4-0 shutout win in Game 1 of the series.

Philadelphia is projected to be a Wild Card team in the National League, while Washington is one of the worst teams in the NL. The Phillies have won four of the previous six games in the series overall and 15 of the last 20 road games in the series while having won by an average margin of 3.67 runs per game over the previous six games. I look for those trends to continue, so I am taking the moneyline for the Philadelphia Phillies when they travel to face the Washington Nationals in Game 2 of the series on Saturday afternoon.