The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals will resume their three-game series at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night following a jaw-dropping ninth-inning comeback by the visitors on Monday.
The Mets were down to their last out in the ninth, when Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado air-mailed a routine throw on a ground ball to open the door for five Met runs in the top of the frame. Edwin Diaz would lock down New York’s improbable 5-2 comeback triumph in the bottom of the ninth.
Can the Cardinals recover from that crushing defeat in this spot? Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Mets vs Cardinals on Tuesday, April 26.
Mets vs Cardinals odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Mets opened as nominal -105 consensus road favorites, but they’ve since been moved to as high as -120. The consensus total opened at 7.5, but that number quickly dropped to 7.0 following significant action on the Under.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Mets vs Cardinals predictions
- Prediction: Cardinals ML (+110)
- Prediction: Under 7.0 (-110)
- Best bet: Goldschmidt to record a hit (-220)
Picks made on 4/26/2022 at 12:20 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Mets vs Cardinals game info
• Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MI
• Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022
• First pitch: 7:45 p.m. ET
• TV: TBS
Mets vs Cardinals betting preview
Starting pitchers
Chris Bassitt (2-1, 3.00 ERA): Bassitt took his first loss with the Mets on Wednesday, when the San Francisco Giants tagged him for five runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings. He’ll try to bounce back at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night.
Bassitt pitched brilliantly in his first two starts with New York, surrendering only one run over 12 innings of work with 14 strikeouts.
Jordan Hicks (1-1, 1.29 ERA): Hicks makes just his second career start for the Cardinals in this spot. He held the Miami Marlins to one run over three innings in his first ever starting assignment last Thursday.
Hicks is well-known for his triple-digit fastball and devastating slider, both of which he employed to great effect (when healthy) as a member of the St. Louis relief corps since 2018.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Mets: Sean Reid-Foley RP (Questionable), Taijuan Walker (Out).
Cardinals: Drew VerHagen RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 21-6 in their last 27 games after allowing five runs or more in their previous game. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Cardinals
Mets vs Cardinals picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Cardinals should be able to exact some revenge against the Mets on Tuesday night following Monday’s crushing defeat.
St. Louis’ lineup will try to get the jump on Chris Bassitt after being held to only two hits by Max Scherzer over seven innings on Monday. Bassitt has been far worse on the road (4.25 ERA) than at home (2.66 ERA) over his career, which opens the door for the Redbirds, even though they’ve hardly faced the former American League standout.
It will be interesting to see if Albert Pujols gets a chance at Bassitt, as he’s 5-for-12 (.417) lifetime against him with a home run.
Once Bassitt departs, a shaky Mets bullpen (3.45 ERA, 15th in the majors) will take over. This unit once again showed cracks in the foundation in the form of Trevor May, who allowed two earned runs for the second straight appearance on Monday.
Jordan Hicks counters on the mound for the Cards, and bettors should expect him to pitch more than three innings as he makes his second career start. He’s off to a strong opening in 2022, authoring a 1.000 WHIP with eight strikeouts over seven innings. The fire-balling Houston native is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning over his relatively brief MLB career (119 Ks over 123 1-3 innings).
St. Louis skipper Oliver Marmol may not have closer Giovanny Gallegos at the ready after he threw 31 pitches in his blown save chance on Monday, but this unit had the second-best reliever ERA in baseball going into that tilt.
Trend bettors should note that the Cardinals are 13-5 in their last 18 games as an underdog, while the Mets are 12-30 in their last 42 games against teams with winning records.
Prediction: Cardinals ML (+110 at Unibet)
Over/Under analysis
Under bettors were practically robbed of a win in the opener of this series, but they should go back to the well here.
Hicks may not last all that long for the Redbirds, but bullpen pieces like Kodi Whitley and Ryan Helsley – who have combined for nine scoreless appearances in as many chances this season – can help fluster the Mets lineup. Francisco Lindor – who took an 0-for-4 on Monday – is now batting just .184 all-time against St. Louis’ pitching staff (49 at-bats).
Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ lineup has been lacking firepower aside from Arenado (1.078 OPS) for most of the season. Tyler O’Neill (.614 OPS) is one of many Redbirds outfielders who are struggling at the plate at present — the team ranks 28th in terms of outfield OPS (.553) in 2022.
There are also several trends that suggest the Under is the right side here. The Mets are 22-8-2 to the Under in their last 32 games when their opponent allows five or more runs in their previous contest. The Under is also 6-1 in the Cards’ last seven overall, and 11-5-1 in their last 17 home games with the total set between 7.0 and 8.5.
Prediction: Under 7.0 (-110 at PointsBet)
Best bet
Though Arenado has garnered most of the headlines for the Cardinals this year (and deservedly so), no hitter in their lineup is hotter than first baseman Paul Goldschmidt at the moment. Prop bettors should pounce on the chance to back him to get into the hit column on Tuesday night.
Though Goldschmidt has yet to hit a home run in 2022, his bat has finally turned the corner after starting the year 6-for-41 (.146). The six-time All-Star has nine hits in his last 17 at-bats (.529) with two doubles, a walk, and four RBI. He’s only struck out twice in that span.
Goldschmidt failed to record a hit in his only career at-bat against Bassitt, but he’s had success against key Met relievers Seth Lugo (5-for-8, two home runs) and Adam Ottavino (6-for-21, three home runs). New York manager Buck Showalter may want to avoid those matchups, but with the three-batter minimum rule, it’s not always easy to accomplish that task.
Backing Goldschmidt to hit a four-bagger is tempting, but the best bet here is simply for him to tally a hit of any kind.
Pick: Paul Goldschmidt to record a hit (-169 at Caesars)
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