A pivotal National League showdown will take place when the New York Mets take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Mets-Cardinals prediction and pick will be revealed.

With only two wins in their last seven games combined, the time is now for the Mets to start heading in the right direction before it is far too late. Of course, there is plenty of regular season remaining for New York to right the ship, and it may begin with righty Jose Butto who is going to get the start on Tuesday. Despite owning a 2.57 ERA up to this point, Butto has yet to win a game with an 0-2 record through five starts on the young season. Overall, New York is two games below .500 at 16-18 and already sit 7.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.

On the other side of things, the St. Louis Cardinals entered the 2024 regular season more than motivated to get back on track after 2023 saw them go a lackluster 71-91 after three straight appearances in the NL playoffs. Fast forward 34 games into this season and the ugliness that reared its head a year ago is once again hanging around. With a record of 15-19, St. Louis is playing down to their standards. Then again, the Red Birds did take two of three games against the Mets earlier in the season, and the ‘Cards will call upon Miles Mikolas who has struggled to say the least. So far, Mikolas is an underwhelming 2-4 and is equipped with a lofty 5.68 ERA.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Mets-Cardinals Odds

New York Mets: +1.5 (-188)

Moneyline: +108

St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+155)

Moneyline: -126

Over: 8.5 (-110)

Under: 8.5 (-110)

How to Watch Mets vs. Cardinals

Time: 7:40 ET/4:40 PT

TV: MLB.TV

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Mets Will Cover The Spread/Win

It hasn't been a pretty start for the Mets, but there is still reason to believe that they can get the job done on the road in this one. No matter what happens in game one's contest on Monday evening, the Mets can at least find solace in a steady pitching unit that has played fairly well of late. In large part, New York's struggles have been with some inconsistencies at the plate. Simply put, New York is wasting phenomenal pitching performances due to some poor hitting efforts. If the Mets are going to go out on the road and steal one from the Cardinals, then this type of formula cannot continue to be the case. More specifically, New York cannot falter when scoring opportunities present themselves.

Although the Mets may be limping into this series, it is at least encouraging that Jose Butto is putting forth consistent innings from the pitching rubber. While he wasn't expected to pitch this early in the season, he is making the most of his opportunities and will be squaring off with a Cardinals offense that is ranked second-to-last in runs scored throughout all of baseball.

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

Seeking to once again take the series versus the Mets in consecutive outings, there is no question that St. Louis needs all hands on deck to rid themselves of the poor play that has haunted the team to begin the season.

All in all, it begins with Miles Mikolas figuring out better ways to stay ahead of the count and not fall behind in the count. Previously, when this happened to the 35-year-old veteran, he has surrendered far too much solid contact. Instead, Mikolas would be able to thrive in this matchup if he gets into 0-2 and 1-2 counts making it easier for him to get the youthful and inexperienced Mets lineup to chase pitches outside of the zone. In fact, Mikolas is coming off a promising start versus the Detroit Tigers in which he logged in six innings pitched on his way to giving up only three runs in the process. If Mikolas can string together a couple of scoreless frames to begin the game, then he could be tough for the Mets to get to.

What is wrong with St. Louis' offense? It isn't necessarily time to hit the panic button, but the dynamic duo of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have combined for a measly four home runs which simply isn't going to cut it. If these two stars can begin to start tearing the cover off of the baseball, then St. Louis will be that much more dangerous to deal with for the rest of the MLB.

Final Mets-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

Without a doubt, both teams enter his series in a drought offensively. While it is hard to imagine that this will last for too much longer, take the Cardinals to defend their home field and rely on the veteran presence of Miles Mikolas to get the job done.

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Final Mets-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+155)