Cardinals vs. Mets Game 2 Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, May 17 (St. Louis Valuable Underdog in Doubleheader)

The St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets wrap up Game 2 of their double header Tuesday night from Citi Field in New York.

Steven Matz makes his second start of the season against his former ball club in the Mets, while New York counters with Taijuan Walker, a 2021 All-Star pitcher who tailed off at the end of last season; trying to get back on track in 2022.

Here are the odds for Tuesday night's matchup with odds from WynnBET Sportsbook:

Cardinals vs. Mets Odds, Run Line, Total

Run Line:

• Cardinals: +1.5 (-180)
• Mets: -1.5 (+150)

Moneyline:

• Cardinals: +114
• Mets: -124

Total: 8 (Over -105/Under -115)

Cardinals vs. Mets Prediction and Pick

Matz struggled in his first start against his former club, going only four innings while allowing four runs on six hits, but the Mets have been below average against lefties this season. New York is hitting just .204 against southpaws this season and Matz is in line for some positive regression from his 6.40 ERA. He has a FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 4.06, meaning that with help from his (elite defensive) teammates behind him his ERA should trend downwards.

On the other side Walker has been trending in the wrong direction for some time now. He has a 3.00 ERA through 4 starts this season but his FIP is actually higher than Matz's, sitting at 4.49. Walker is striking out batters at 50% of his typical rate, just 4 K's per 9 innings and I'm concerned how he will fare against a disciplined Cardinals lineup that can put runners on base and get him into trouble.

I think this game should be more of a toss up, especially when noting that the Mets will be using their bullpen often in the first game of the doubleheader. All that being said, I see the value on the Cardinals as small underdogs.

LEAN: Cardinals +110

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!