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The New York Mets are on the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals for the start of a four game series Thursday night. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Mets-Cardinals prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Mets lost a three game series to the Cardinals back in June. In that series, New York actually outscored the Cardinals 16-14, though. The Mets hit .242 in those three games, but their two best hitters in the series are not playing in this one. Tommy Pham was traded, and Starling Marte is on the IL. Of their active players, Brett Baty was the leading hitter for New York. He had three hits along with Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo added a home run, as well. The Mets hit five home runs total in the three games with St. Louis. On the mound, New York had a 4.33 ERA, but their WHIP was 1.11, and they had a K/9 of 9.7.
The Cardinals best hitter in the three games was Brendan Donovan. He had six hits, including a double and three runs scored. However, he is on the IL. Jordan Walker had three hits, including two home runs in the previous series with the Mets. Nolan Arenado homered twice. As a team, the Cardinals hit seven home runs, but they hit just .208 in the three games. On the mound, the Cardinals had a 5.54 ERA, but their WHIP of 1.23 was not bad. However, in 26 innings pitched, the Cardinals struck out jut 16 batters and walked nine.
Jose Quintana will take the mound for the Mets for game one of the series. Adam Wainwright will start for the Cardinals.
Here are the Mets-Cardinals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mets-Cardinals Odds
New York Mets: -1.5 (+114)
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-137)
Over: 10.5 (-105)
Under: 10.5 (-115)
How To Watch Mets vs. Cardinals
TV: SportsNet New York, Bally Sports Midwest, Fox
Stream: Fox Sports app, MLB TV subscription
Time: 7:15 PM ET/4:15 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread
The Mets offense is 10th in home runs, and they do not strikeout a lot. That should help them in this game. Wainwright is not a strikeout pitcher at all, and he has allowed 14 home runs this season. Now, that is not a lot of home runs, but Wainwright also allows opponents to hit .375 off him. The Mets are going to get a lot pitches to hit in the zone, they just need to take advantage of it. If New York can drive the ball and stay patient at the plate, they will cover this spread.
Wainwright at home is even worse. He has an ERA over 9.00, 15 walks in 35 innings, and he allows opponents to hit .389 off him at Busch Stadium. To make matters better for New York, Wainwright has made two starts in August, and he has allowed 15 runs on 18 hits through just four innings of work. His current August ERA is 33.75. The Mets have a very good matchup in this one, and they need to take advantage.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
For how bad Wainwright has been this season, his longest outing of the season has come against the Mets. He went 6 1/3 innings, allowed seven hits, three runs, and struck out three. That is arguably his best outing of the season. He has been struggling in a major way, but that outing is a positive. If he can repeat what he did in that outing, the Cardinals will cover the spread.
Quintana has not been bad for the Mets at all. In fact, he has actually been really good. He has a 3.03 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and has allowed just 28 hits in five starts this season. However, the Mets are 0-5 in games Quintana has started. I am not sure what it is, but the Mets have scored just nine total runs in games Quintana has started. The Mets just do not hit the ball well when Quintana pitches, so maybe that theme continues in this one. If it does, the Cardinals will win.
Final Mets-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
I do not want to overthink this game. Yes, the Mets can not score when Quintana pitches, but that does not negate the fact that Quintana has been very good. It also should not overshadow how bad Wainwright has been. I just can not put my trust into Adam Wainwright. He is too much of a liability on the mound. I will take the Mets to cover the spread in this one.
Final Mets-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Mets -1.5 (+114), Under 10.5 (-115)
