Two National League teams who have struggled to live up to expectations square off starting Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals (27-42) take on the New York Mets (32-36). The Mets will host this one at Citi Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.
The Cardinals are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -118 to win, while the Mets’ moneyline sits at +100. The runline features New York +1.5 (-166), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.
Cardinals Looking For Any Signs Of Life
There might not be a more disappointing team in baseball to this point than the St. Louis Cardinals. At 27-42, they have the worst winning percentage in the National League, and the third-worst in all of baseball. Having gone just 2-8 in their last 10 games, they are looking for any signs of life they can get.
On the mound for the Cardinals will be 34-year-old righty Miles Mikolas. In 14 games, Mikolas is 4-3 with a 4.02 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and he has struck out 62 in 80.2 innings of work. He struggled in his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds, giving up five earned runs over six innings in a loss.
As a team, St. Louis ranks 21st in scoring defense, allowing 4.75 runs per game (4.26 on the road). Offensively, the Cardinals 12th in the majors in scoring, averaging 4.57 runs per game (3.89 on the road).
Leading the offense has been Nolan Gorman. In 213 at bats, he is hitting .249/.336/.507 with a team-leading 15 home runs and 46 runs batted in.
Mets Hope To Find Success At Home
Like the Cardinals, the Mets have gone just 2-8 in their last 10 games. They are hoping playing at Citi Field will help as they are 16-13 at home, versus just 16-23 on the road. Still, the Mets need to turn it around as they are 10 games back of the Braves in the NL East, good for fourth in the division.
Taking the ball for the Mets is 27-year-old Tylor Megill. In 13 games, Megill is 5-4 with a 5.14 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, and he has 49 strikeouts in 63 innings. In his last start, he gave up seven earned runs over 3.2 innings in a loss.
The Mets have struggled a bit on the offensive side this season. In terms of scoring, New York ranks 19th overall, averaging just 4.41 runs per game (4.07 at home). Their offense is also a little banged up as slugging first baseman Pete Alonso is on the injured list.
With Alonso out, the best weapon for the Mets this season has been shortstop Francisco Lindor. Despite hitting just .214/.293/.416, Lindor has 12 home runs, 43 runs batted in, 38 runs scored and six stolen bases.
Take The Mets On The Runline
St. Louis comes into this one winless in their last five games. They are also just 2-5 in their last seven games against the Mets and 1-6 in their last seven on the road.
For New York, they are just 1-4 in their last five home games and 2-9 in their last 11 games overall. In their last six games against National League teams, they are 1-5.
On paper, both of these teams should be solid, but they have both been anything but. With so much inconsistency from both of these teams, it is hard to feel comfortable backing either one straight up.
For that reason, the best play might be taking the runs. In this case, that means taking New York +1.5 (-166).
