The Mets head to St. Louis today for one afternoon only! After dropping a series to the Angels, the Mets find themselves 1.5 games out of the wild card race, but only 2.0 games out of the top wild card spot. The Cardinals, who lost a Sunday night game in Chicago on Sunday, are 1.5 games behind the Mets. It’s a tight race!
The Mets and Cardinals are making up a game from May 8th. The Mets won the first two games of the series, so if the Mets win today, they sweep the Cardinals! The Mets were 18-18 after their game on May 7th, about to enter a terrible spiral. The Cardinals were in last place in the NL Central at 15-21. A couple of months has made a huge difference for both clubs!
Sean Manaea has tossed 113 innings over 21 starts with a 3.50 ERA, 3.95 FIP, 1.204 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. Manaea is coming off of a phenomenal start against the Twins where he held them scoreless over seven innings while striking out 11 batters (season best). Thanks to the May 8th game being postponed, Manaea will pitch in this series for the second time. On May 6th he allowed three runs over six innings from sit hits and a walk in a game the Mets won 4-3. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against him:
- Nolan Arenado 3-9, HR, 3 K
- Alec Burleson 0-1
- Matt Carpenter 0-0, BB
- Willson Contreras 4-8, 2 2B, 3 K
- Brandon Crawford 5-16, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
- Brendan Donovan 1-3, 2B, K
- Paul Goldschmidt 1-5, 3B, BB
- Lars Nootbaar 0-3
- Tommy Pham 6-12, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 K
- Masyn Winn 1-2, 2B
Andre Pallante has pitched in 19 games for the Cardinals in 2024 throwing 62 1/3 innings with a 4.04 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 1.364 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. As a starter only he has pitched 52 1/3 innings with a 3.61 FIP, 1.261 WHIP. Two of his last three starts haven’t been great, allowing seven runs over 11 1/3 innings. His other start was great, holding the Pirates to only one run over six innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Pallante:
- Pete Alonso 1-2, BB
- José Iglesias 0-2
- Francisco Lindor 2-6, BB, K
- J.D. Martinez 0-3, 2 K
- Jeff McNeil 0-5, BB
- Brandon Nimmo 1-7, 2B, K
- Tyrone Taylor 2-5, K
- Jesse Winker 1-3
Three Things To Watch For:
- Willson Contreras. The last time the Mets and Cardinals faced in May 7th, Willson Contreras fractured his arm during a catcher’s interference play while J.D. Martinez was batting. Contreras got through rehab quickly and came back at the minimum initial estimate rehab time (6-8 weeks). Since June 24th he has hit .242/.363/.424 with seven homers. It’s great to see that he’s back and will be able to finish out the series against the Mets.
- Old Friend Tommy Pham. Tommy Pham was traded at the trade deadline for the second consecutive season. This time he went from the White Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals, his original club. Since joining the Cardinals he has hit .381/.409/.714 over six games with a 208 OPS+ including a grand slam in his first at bat back with the organization.
- Hitting with runners in scoring position. The Mets are struggling hitting with runners in scoring position. In Sunday’s game they went 2-for-10. Since last Wednesday the team has gone 6-for-38, which incapsulates the overall frustration the Mets have experienced recently. Hopefully the offense clicks again tonight!
Let’s Go Mets!
