The St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets will begin a three-game series on Monday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Cardinals-Mets prediction and pick.
This is the part of the season where games hold a little more weight, and this matchup isn't any different. The Cardinals are sitting one game behind the last Wild Card spot in the NL, a spot that is their last chance at making the playoffs.
The Mets are in a similar boat, but they still have a chance at winning their division. New York is three games back of the Wild Card seed and five back of first place in the NL East. Every game is hugely important for both these squads, but now they each have a chance to deal a huge blow to a Wild Card contender.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Monday's game.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Mets Odds
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St. Louis Cardinals ML (-108)
New York Mets ML (-102)
Over 8 runs (+100)
Under 8 runs (-120)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The only reason St. Louis is still in playoff contention is the pitching rotation. The offense has been poor all year, but the pitching has carried the Cardinals to plenty of victories. This game is likely to be more of the same with pitcher Adam Wainwright taking the mound.
Wainwright has surprised everybody with fantastic play this season, and his last seven games have been even more surprising. Over that span, the veteran has posted a 1.57 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP. Those are absolutely incredible numbers, and they indicate a level of pitching that is more than good enough to deal with the Mets. New York ranks in the bottom 20 in the league in OPS and slugging percentage while ranking just outside the top 10 in batting average. Wainwright shouldn't have much trouble against this lineup.
New York will entrust Monday's series opener to pitcher Rich Hill. Hill has been as steady as ever this season, but the Cardinals have some statistical edges over him in this contest. St. Louis is significantly stronger on offense when facing a left-handed pitcher, earning a .254 batting average against lefties compared to a .235 average against right-handed pitchers.
Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread
The Cardinals may hit lefties well, but it's impossible to overlook just how well Rich Hill has been pitching. He has put up a 2.94 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over his last seven starts, and his season-long stats are only slightly worse. St. Louis has been a pretty bad offense all season long, so it's not a terrible matchup for Hill at all.
Earlier in the season, New York looked like one of the worst offensive teams in all of baseball. They've slowly turned things around over the course of the year, and now it looks like the Mets are hitting their stride at the plate. As a team, they own a .268 batting average in September. That's easily the best batting average they've ever had over a month, and all of their other batting stats follow suit and improve. This matchup won't be as easy for Wainwright as it looks.
Final Cardinals-Mets Prediction & Pick
Monday seems like it has a lot of close games on the schedule, and this one is no different. The Cardinals should be able to pull out a win here behind Wainwright and the bullpen, but don't be surprised if it takes all nine innings. Take St. Louis and get ready for a wild ride of a game.
FINAL PICK: St. Louis Cardinals ML (-108)
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