Cardinals vs Mets Prediction, Picks, and Odds for Tonight’s MLB Game

The New York Mets will look to build on their recent run of strong play as they host the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field tonight.

The Mets (13-11) and rookie pitcher Jose Butto are favorites in the MLB odds tonight over the Cardinals (11-14), who are coming off a series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Butto has been excellent for the Mets so far in his young career, and we’ll discuss whether he can pick up his first win of the season for New York in our free Cardinals vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks for April 26.

Cardinals vs Mets prediction

My best bet
Mets moneyline (-130 at FanDuel)

My analysis

Jose Butto is enjoying what will likely be his first full season in the majors, and boy, is he off to an excellent start for the New York Mets.

Over his first three starts, the 26-year-old right-hander has struck out 21 batters in 16 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on eight hits in the process. That’s good for a 1.65 ERA, something he has accomplished thanks to an excellent strikeout rate and by avoiding giving up the long ball.

The same can’t be said for St. Louis Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas. The 35-year-old veteran is 1-3 with a 6.49 ERA on the year, and St. Louis is just 1-4 in his five starts.

While Mikolas has had a couple of strong seasons — notably, his 18-4 year for the Cardinals back in 2018 — he has spent most of his career as a league-average starter. Like most arms that fit that description, he also seems to be fading in his mid-30s. While Mikolas remains extremely durable (pitching over 200 innings in each of the last two seasons), he only put up a 4.78 ERA last year, doesn’t have strikeout stuff, and is giving up more hits and home runs than ever before.

Mikolas looks to be in for a tough start against a Mets offense that has woken up after a slow start to the year. New York is averaging 4.71 runs per game and has scored at least eight runs in three of its last seven contests. Francisco Lindor was the last key player in the Mets lineup to break out, most recently going 4-for-5 with two homers on Wednesday against San Francisco.

The Mets are back at home behind Butto and face a struggling starter that their talented lineup should handle. I’m taking New York to win tonight's game outright.

Cardinals vs Mets same-game parlay (SGP)

Mets moneyline

Over 7.5

Francisco Lindor to record a hit

+297 at FanDuel

I like the Mets to win at home tonight, and I think the New York lineup should get plenty of runs off Mikolas and the rest of the Cardinals staff.

That’s why my same-game parlay also includes a bet on the Over at a modest total of 7.5 runs. In addition, I’m taking Lindor to get at least one hit tonight. The Mets shortstop has played well lately, collecting at least one hit in five of his last seven games and totaling 10 in that span.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Cardinals vs Mets odds

Cardinals vs Mets live odds

Cardinals vs Mets opening odds

• Run line: St. Louis +1.5 (-185) | New York +1.5 (+165)
• Moneyline: St. Louis +116 | New York -126
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-107) | Under 8 (-105)

Cardinals vs Mets spread and Over/Under analysis

• The Mets opened as -126 favorites in tonight’s game. The moneyline has moved to New York -130, with some books even going to -135. 
• The Cardinals are down about three units on the moneyline this season, while the Mets have made three units for backers.
• The total on tonight’s game opened at 8.0. The Over/Under has since moved to 7.5, with +100 available on the Under and -115 on the Over.
• The Over has a 13-11 record in Mets games this year, while the Under has gone 15-8 in St. Louis’ games.

Cardinals vs Mets trend

The Mets are 3-0 in Butto’s three starts this season. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Mets

Cardinals vs Mets game info

Cardinals vs Mets latest injuries

Cardinals vs Mets weather

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