Subscribe
Follow Us
The St. Louis Cardinals take on the New York Mets in Game 2 of a doubleheader. Check out our MLB odds series for our Cardinals Mets prediction and pick.
Steven Matz gets the ball for the Cardinals in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader, while Taijuan Walker gets the assignment for the Mets.
Steven Matz has a 6.40 ERA. You don't know which version of him you're going to see on the mound each time he takes the bump. He has had great starts, solid starts, and bad starts this season. Let's break down the numbers for anyone interested in making a Cardinals Mets prediction.
Matz's three horrible starts came on April 10 against the Pirates, April 27 against the Mets, and May 7 against the Giants. In those three starts, Matz gave up 19 runs in nine innings of work. He had a solid start — not terrible, not spectacular — on May 12 against the Orioles, allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings. He has produced three great starts: on April 16 against the Brewers, April 22 versus the Reds, and on May 2 against the Royals. In those three starts, Matz has allowed just one run in 16 2/3 innings pitched. He can be superb, he can be horrible, he can be anything in between. It's a roller-coaster ride with Matz on the hill in St. Louis.
Taijuan Walker has a 3.00 ERA. There is a lot to unpack with Walker, but the main point is that you can't really tell how good he is right now. First, he has made only four appearances this season, one of them being a two-inning stint. Second, three of his four appearances have come against one team, the Phillies. Third, three of his appearances have been scoreless, while a fourth appearance was a bloodbath: seven runs allowed in four innings against the aforementioned Phillies on May 5. Be careful when making a Cardinals Mets pick based on the current Cardinals Mets odds.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Cardinals-Mets MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Mets Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-192)
New York Mets: -1.5 (+158)
Over: 7.5 (-120)
Under: 7.5 (-102)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread
If they get the good version of Steven Matz, they will like their chances of winning. That point aside, it's not as though Taijuan Walker has fully established himself as a high-level starting pitcher in 2022. He did pitch a seven-inning shutout of the Nationals, but he has not thrown that many innings and has a small sample size on which to base one's analysis. We need to see a lot more from Walker — not so much more quality, but simply a few more starts in which he proves he can consistently deliver for the Mets. We don't yet know if he is a reliable pitcher this year.
This is Game 2 of a doubleheader. Be on the lookout for Game 1 results and trends. If the Mets win Game 1, the Cardinals will be extra motivated in Game 2 and might make adjustments from the first game of this twin bill.
Why The Mets Could Cover the Spread
After Game 1 of this doubleheader, in which red-hot Cardinal pitcher Miles Mikolas went at them, the Mets will look at Steven Matz and see a much more manageable pitcher. Mikolas had an ERA under 1.60 entering Tuesday's doubleheader. If we assume he will pitch well (the game is 0-0 in the bottom of the second as this article goes to press), the Mets' bats should be able to bust loose in the second game against a markedly inferior pitcher.
The other bigger point to make here is that the Mets just lost a series at home to the Mariners. They are bound to bounce back and respond well to a negative plot twist, just as they have done all season. The Mets never get into an overly deep funk in 2022. When they play a bad game or two, they usually regroup.
Final Cardinals-Mets Prediction & Pick
If Game 1 goes to the Cardinals, the Mets become an easy pick here, but even if the Mets win Game 1, they're facing a not-that-great pitcher and should have the advantage.
Final Cardinals-Mets Prediction & Pick: Mets -1.5
