Jeff McNeil and the slumping New York Mets will head west to Busch Stadium to play the St. Louis Cardinals. This NL showdown will get underway at 8:15 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to SportsNet New York to catch the action.
New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (-145) is favored over New York (+135) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this one at 9.5 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total stand at +100 for the over and -120 for the under. There’s a runline of Mets +1.5 (-160) and Cardinals -1.5 (+140) for this matchup.
The Cardinals are 10-8 straight up (SU) and 11-7 against the spread (ATS). The team’s gained 1.5 units for moneyline bettors and 2.9 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Mets are 10-8 SU and have gone 11-7 ATS. Overall, the club has gained 0.3 units for moneyline bettors over the early part of the year and 2.1 units ATS. New York has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
St. Louis games have an over/under record of 11-6-1 so far in 2019. The Mets have been a decent over bet with a total record of 13-4-1.
Left-hander Jason Vargas will get the nod for the visiting Mets. Vargas (1-0, 14.21 ERA) has recorded three punchouts in 6.1 innings so far. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Cardinals are going with righty Adam Wainwright (1-1, 3.94 ERA), who has 16 strikeouts and six walks as well as a WHIP of 1.13. Wainwright did not re a start against the Mets in 2018.
New York’s pitching staff allowed 6.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.48 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 10.76 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 5.87, along with a K-per-9 of 9.52.
The Mets offense has slashed .268/.355/.437 on its way to 5.7 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.0 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Outfielders Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto have led New York’s offense. McNeil is hitting .424/.485/.542 with 25 hits, 10 RBIs and eight runs scored. Conforto is hitting .324 with 23 hits, five homers, 11 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.6 runs per game overall in 2019. The team’s starters have a 5.16 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 9.6 K/9.
The St. Louis hitters are putting up 5.3 runs per contest, including 5.8 per game over its last 10 games and 5.6 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .302/.381/.547 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Shortstop Paul DeJong and second baseman Kolten Wong have led the Cardinals’ offense so far. DeJong is slashing .342/.407/.630 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and 17 runs scored, and Wong’s line is .316/.437/.614 with four homers, 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
The Mets have gained 0.1 units and are 8-6 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in nine of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 0.3 units and are 2-1 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over has hit in one of those games, compared to two that went under the total.
Mets vs. Cardinals Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Mets, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in five of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Mets have dropped four of their last five games SU.
- The New York defense has allowed six errors over the last five contests, compared to just two errors for St. Louis over its last five.
- The Mets have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 15 over their last 10.
- The Mets have an OPS of .792 this season and an OPS of .776 against right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS stands at .797 overall and .825 versus righties.
