The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals will meet Friday night at Citi Field to begin a three-game set.
Both teams have gotten off to terrible starts this season, but one team in particular seems to be heading in the right direction.
The Mets are 13-11 in the first month but are 7-3 in their last 10 games, including taking two of three games from the World Series favorite Dodgers (+350, DraftKings) in Los Angeles. It also includes.
Friday’s matchup gives us a chance to cash in on a two-leg parlay.
Cardinals vs. Mets odds
| team | money line | run line | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| cardinals | +114 | +1.5 (-192) | o7.5 (-115) |
| mets | -135 | -1.5 (+160) | u7.5 (-105) |
Cardinals vs. Mets predictions and picks
The bullpen is very favorable for the Mets, as they have a 2.95 ERA, 3.10 SIERA, and the third-highest strikeout rate (29.4%) among MLB bullpens.
The Mets’ offense has posted an above-average 106 wRC+ so far this season, even though most hitters have performed below expectations. Pete Arsono (.263/.340/.516) was an exception.
Even better news for the Mets is that late offseason addition J.D. Martinez is scheduled to make his 2024 debut on Friday.
Martinez posted a wRC+ of 135 with the Dodgers last season and, as expected, racked up a five-game stretch in the minor leagues.
The right-handed slugger should add instant momentum to an already strong batting lineup.
I want the Mets to win this game outright at home, but I’m going to allow a bit of a buffer in this parlay and give the alternate run line +1.5 in the first leg.
The Cardinals’ bullpen, like the Mets’ pen, has been outstanding this season, but veteran right-hander Miles Mikolas will start Friday.
Mikolas has steadily declined in performance since the 2022 season, when he posted a 3.29 ERA. He has always been a well below average strikeout pitcher, and his K rate has never exceeded 19% in his career.
Alonso may be the biggest beneficiary of this pitching battle. He could provide some of the damage that sinks both the Cardinals and Mykolas.
Learn everything you need to know about MLB betting
Alonso has posted an elite .284 ISO and .358 wOBA when facing right-handed pitchers since the beginning of last season.
His strikeout rate is below average at 22.4%, so there’s no need to worry even more against Mykolas.
Alonso had a great chance to make solid contact in his third at-bat against Mikolas, helping him cash in on this two-leg parlay.
