The New York Mets will be facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. This NL matchup will get underway at 8:15 p.m. ET and SportsNet New York will be airing the game.
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Oddsmakers have listed New York (+130) as the underdog to St. Louis (-140). Bettors are able to gamble on the game’s total with odds sitting at even money (+100) for over 8.5 runs and -120 for under 8.5. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the odds standing at Mets +1.5 runs (-170) and Cardinals +-1.5 runs (+150).
The Mets have gone 15-6 SU this year and are 12-8 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 8.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline in the season’s early going and 6.3 units ATS. New York has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 13-9 SU and 12-9 ATS. They’ve gained 3.5 units for moneyline bettors and 1.4 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
St. Louis games have had an over/under record of 10-11 so far in 2018. New York has an over/under record of 10-10.
The southpaw Steven Matz will get the nod for New York. Matz is 1-1 with a 4.42 ERA and 23 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with four strikeouts and a 6.75 ERA against St. Louis this year.
The Cardinals are planning to start righty Michael Wacha (3-1, 4.22 ERA), who has 15 strikeouts and 11 walks, as well as a 1.45 WHIP. Wacha is 0-1 with two strikeouts and a 7.71 ERA in one start against New York this year.
New York’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.89 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 10.19 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.32, along with a K-per-9 of 10.30.
The Mets offense has slashed .235/.336/.390 on its way to 4.9 runs scored per game this season, including 4.7 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
New York’s offense has been led by second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and third baseman Todd Frazier. Cabrera is slashing .349/.391/.590 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and 16 runs scored, while Frazier (.261/.411/.464) is up to three homers, 14 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Frazier appeared to enjoy hitting righty pitching on the road last season. Over 228 such plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .261/.386/.505 (compared to his overall season line of .214/.345/.425).
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff has given up 3.6 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.29, a WHIP of 1.27 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.4. The bullpen has a 3.58 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 8.9 K/9.
The St. Louis offense has put up 4.8 runs per outing, including 5.9 per game over its last 10 games and 5.4 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .261/.365/.442 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Right fielder Tommy Pham and first baseman Jose Martinez have led the charge for the Cardinals’ offense so far. Pham is slashing .348/.477/.522 with 24 hits, seven RBIs, 19 runs and five stolen bases, and Martinez’s line is .321/.398/.506 with three homers, 16 RBIs and seven runs.
Compared to his total season slash line of .306/.411/.520, Pham did not perform very well at home last year, slashing .265/.388/.410 over 245 plate appearances.
The Mets have gained 4.5 units and are 8-7 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in eight of those games, compared to seven that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 1.9 units and are 4-2 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in two of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under.
New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Mets, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
St. Louis has recorded 23.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 22.6 over its last five.
The Mets have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 16 over their last 10.
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