Football with the NFL may have just ended, but MLB is in full swing. The New York Mets take on the St. Louis Cardinals in what will be a home game for the Redbirds at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. As both teams play their spring ball in Florida, the home-field advantage for St. Louis will not necessarily have much weight on our New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals picks.
The opening day of the MLB schedule is just one month away, and watching MLB games during spring can show us a lot of what we need to know heading into the regular season. March 30 is the big day, but for now, let’s focus on the Mets vs Cardinals game on Monday afternoon.
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Heading into Monday afternoon’s game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals, it is important to jump right into the odds. This will be the third game for the Cardinals and the fourth game for the Mets.
The majority of MLB picks have this game going either way, as the Mets at -115 odds have the same odds as the Cardinals at -115. You could really just flip a coin for your New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals picks.
There are no odds posted for the spread or overall total of the game. All eyes will be on the moneyline between these two MLB teams.
Monday’s matchup will be the first of three games between New York and St. Louis before the regular season kicks off at the end of March. You should definitely be seeing these two teams atop the MLB standings late into the 2023 calendar year.
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals Matchup Information
New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals
Location of the Game: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Sarasota, FL
Date and Time: Monday, February 27, 2023, 1:05 PM ET)
How to Watch: ESPN
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
New York Mets
With a very small sample size, the New York Mets are 2-1 to start off Spring Training. Looking at the New York Mets score today, they have a run differential of +4 in their three games. In terms of the MLB injury report, the two big names to monitor are Darin Ruf and Starling Marte. Both players are day-to-day.
After an offseason that caused a rollercoaster of emotions, they are still expected to be one of the best teams in all of baseball. They currently have the best odds in the NL to win the 2023 World Series. Oddsmakers have high hopes for the Big Apple this year, after a disappointing end to last season.
This game against the St. Louis Cardinals will be all about getting their offense cooking. Pete Alonso already has a home run, but, in terms of MLB player stats, it important to heat up the bats of the rest of the offense. New York is expecting to have a top pitching staff in MLB, so spring will be about evaluating and improving upon their offense.
New York won 101 games last season and looks to repeat upon their successes. In their great season on the moneyline, they also covered over 53% of their games. On paper, the Mets have the edge in this matchup.
St. Louis Cardinals
Every season, the St. Louis Cardinals are supposed to make a huge splash, yet they rarely do. Nolan Arenado decided to stick around, and they did sign Willson Contreras, but they did lose Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and Jose Quintana.
When looking at the St. Louis Cardinals statistics, their biggest weakness was pitching. Now that they lost their Game One starter from last year’s playoffs, the Cardinals may be in big trouble. St. Louis did have one of the best offenses in the league and are bringing back the NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, but you cannot always count on the offense.
In the two games the Cardinals have played thus far, they were favored in one game and the underdogs in another. As the favorite, they are 0-1, and as the underdog, they are 1-0. In a game where the New York Mets and Cardinals both have -115, the trends say we will get a tie score. Ties are lame, so let’s avoid that.
All eyes for the Cardinals are on their future star Jordan Walker. Their top prospect hit a 430-foot home run in Sunday’s dominant win over the Miami Marlins. St. Louis fans’ eyes lit up at the sight of their young stud blasting one over the fence. That was great to see, but this spring is all about figuring out the backend of the pitching staff, primarily in the bullpen or as a late starter.
St. Louis covered the spread in 87 games last season, compared to 88 of the Mets. Both teams were above average against the spread, but our attention is on the moneyline for this game.
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Picks
Finally, it is time for our New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals picks. Both the Mets and the Cardinals are coming off their best offensive performances of the preseason. This game has the potential to be one of the highest-scoring games of February thus far between two potent offenses. For now, it seems like the Cardinals have the upper hand with more firepower in their bats.
Take the Cardinals -115 against the Mets. The pitching for the Cardinals has a lot more to play for; there are a lot of question marks on who will pitch this season, so many guys are battling for a spot. The pitchers for the Cardinals will be pitching like they have something to prove. That attitude in spring training pays dividends, and it will win the Cardinals this game.
In a game between two teams who will be playing baseball in October, this should be a good test for these two NL clubs.
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