In case you didn’t know, this pitcher for the Mets named (checks notes) Max Scherzer is pretty good at throwing a baseball. How good you ask? Well, he’s 4-1 on the season, and that lone blemish represents his first regular-season loss in 343 days. Scherzer gave up 10 hits and three earned runs as the Mets fell 3-2 at Philadelphia on May 8.
Outside of that, “Mad Max” has not been charged with a loss in nearly a full calendar year. Modern-day seamheads who are slaves to new-age analytics will tell you wins and losses are flawed metrics when it comes to pitching. Perhaps. But that’s still an eye-popping feat that displays true dominance.
All of which is to say the Cardinals have an uphill climb Wednesday as they try to hand Scherzer his second loss in nearly a year. That’s especially true when considering St. Louis has lost five straight against Scherzer over the past three seasons, regardless of which uniform the three-time Cy Young winner is wearing.
Can St. Louis break that spell at Citi Field (and in the process become the first team all season to beat the Mets in back-to-back games)? Or will the Redbirds’ slide against the future Hall-of-Famer continue?
Props.com breaks down Cardinals vs Mets odds and betting action for Wednesday’s matchup, the third contest of this four-game series.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 12:45 p.m. ET on May 18.
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St. Louis Cardinals (20-16) vs New York Mets (24-14)
First Pitch/TV: 7:10 p.m. ET/MLB Network & MLB.TV
Moneyline: Mets -190/Cardinals +160
Runline: Mets -1.5 (+115)/Cardinals +1.5 (-135)
Total: 7 (Over -105/Under -115)
Pitching matchup: RHP Jordan Hicks (1-3, 4.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) vs RHP Max Scherzer (4-1, 2.66 ERA, 0.91 WHIP)
Season series: After a split in Tuesday’s doubleheader, the Mets now lead the season series 3-2. The teams have alternated wins and losses in the last four clashes.
Did you know: Dating back to May of 2021, the road team has won eight of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
About the Cardinals
Hits & Misses: Despite starting the season strong, St. Louis is stuck in a patch of mediocrity, going 4-6 record over its last 10 games. Still, the Cardinals are only 2.5 games behind the first-place Brewers in the NL Central. Fangraphs gives the Cardinals an 18 percent chance to win the division, but their probability to make the playoffs hovers around 41 percent thanks to the expanded Wild Card format. Offensively, St. Louis ranks 11th in runs scored per game (4.50) and tied for 11th in wRC+. The Cardinals’ starting rotation ranks 14th with a 3.61 ERA, and the bullpen boasts a solid 3.22 ERA that ranks 5th in MLB.
Jordan Hicks vs Mets: Once known as a flame-throwing reliever, Hicks is now a staple in St. Louis’ starting rotation. The 25-year-old righty has seen his pitch count increase from 63 to 77 over his last three starts. He also tossed a season-high five innings at San Francisco on Friday. However, the results in that span have been a mixed bag: 12.2 innings, eight hits, seven earned runs, and 12 strikeouts (4.97 ERA). Prior to that three-start stretch, Hicks faced the Mets but only threw 43 pitches while in the midst of his transition from reliever to starter. He gave up two earned runs and two hits with a pair of walks across two innings in that contest. The Cardinals ended up losing that game, 3-0.
Key injuries: None.
About the Mets
Hits & Misses: New York has alternated wins and losses in its last eight games and is 6-6 since May 4. Still, the club remains atop the NL East standings, leading the second-place Braves by a whopping 6.5 games. The Mets have lost consecutive games just once all season (April 10 at Washington; April 11 at Philadelphia), and they sport a 9-1-1 series record. As a result, Fangraphs gives New York a 58 percent chance to win the division and an 85 percent chance to make the playoffs. Before Mets fans start making plans for postseason parties, remember: Less than a fourth of the season is in the books. New York ranks 12th in runs per game (4.37) and tied for 6th in wRC+. Even with ace Jacob deGrom (shoulder) still on the shelf, the starting rotation ranks sixth in collective ERA (3.28). The bullpen is 11th (3.41 ERA).
Max Scherzer vs Cardinals: Scherzer dominated the Cardinals on April 25, racking up 10 strikeouts while allowing just two hits across seven scoreless innings. However, the 37-year-old has been more generous since that outing, giving up eight earned runs and 18 hits across 19 innings (22 K’s) in three May starts. St. Louis 2B Tommy Edman has decent career numbers against Scherzer (4-11, HR, 3K), but that’s about it. The combined likes of Harrison Bader, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Nolan Arenado, Dylan Carlson, and Paul Goldschmidt are 13-for-91 lifetime against Mad Max (.143 average) with zero home runs.
Key injuries: Tylor Megill landed on the IL this weekend with biceps inflammation in his right (pitching) arm and is out indefinitely. C James McCann had surgery on his broken left wrist and will be out for an estimated six weeks. CF Brandon Nimmo is probable despite a quad injury.
Notable Trends
- STL is 21-9 in its last 30 road games (10-8 this season)
- NYM are 10-2 in their last 12 home games vs right-handed SPs
- NYM are 3-9 in their last 12 against the NL Central
- Under is 4-1 in STL’s last five road games and 6-2 in its last eight against the NL East
- Under is 7-3 in NYM’s last 10 overall
- STL is 5-1 in its last six at Citi Field
- Over is 13-6-2 in the last 21 series meetings (2-3 this season)
- Under went 2-0 in Tuesday’s doubleheader
Cardinals Vs Mets Odds and Action
Check back for the Cardinals vs Mets odds and action report to see which way the money is flowing in this primetime matchup.
