Betsided

Cardinals vs. Mets Game 1 Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, May 17 (Mikolas Starting, Mets Lineup Provides Value)

By Reed Wallach

Apr 30, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39)
Apr 30, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals series opener got postponed on Monday, setting up a double header on Tuesday.

The first meeting of the double header will pit the resurgent Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals while the Mets will counter with Trevor Williams in a bullpen style game for the home team.

Here are the odds for the first of two on Tuesday afternoon at Citi Field, with odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook:

Cardinals vs. Mets Odds, Run Line, Total

Run Line:

  • Cardinals: +1.5 (-200)
  • Mets: -1.5 (+165)

Moneyline:

  • Cardinals: +100
  • Mets: -110

Total: 8 (Over -110/Under -110)

Cardinals vs. Mets Prediction and Pick

Mikolas only pitched 44.2 innings last season due to injury, but has returned to his All-Star form this year. In nearly the same amount of time (44.1 innings across 7 starts) he has a 1.49 ERA, walking less than 2 batters per 9 innings and posting a WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) of .945 which is a career high.

The Mets have a conservative lineup for the first meeting, starting the likes of Luis Guillorme, Travis Jankowski and Patrick Mazeika at the bottom of the lineup. This will put added pressure for the likes of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso to generate run scoring chances, but I think this may be a bit of a slog given the full scope of the Mets hitters.

The Mets will have Williams start in a ibullpen game so there's going to be some variance, but the team has the arm talent to keep them in the game. If Williams, who has been shaky with 5.73 ERA but may be in line for some positive regression with a FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 3.19, can put together several strong innings, the Mets can also keep this game close in a low scoring affair. For what it's worth, the Cards are 10th in wRC+, just behind the Mets who check in at 9th.

With all that being said, I'll be on the under 8 as I expect both staffs to have their way with two good, but maybe not as great offenses at the moment.

LEAN: UNDER 8