All right, all you sports fans out there, it's time for a baseball showdown between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals over at Busch Stadium. That's right; we're making our way to the Show Me State. Now remember, Busch doesn't exactly offer a buffet of runs for hungry hitters, so keep your eyes peeled for some killer pitching tonight.
On the mound for the Mets is Sean Manaea, exerting authority with his 3.59 ERA, his whip cracking at 1.23, and with him sending bats back to the rack at a 9.1 K/9 rate. The Cardinals will counter with Andre Pallante, who has been a bit more charitable, I must say. A 4.20 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 7.3 K/9. Guess we'll see how this battle unfolds.
Over at player central, the Mets have got themselves a pretty slick trio. Jose Iglesias with a 0.324 batting average, Jeff McNeil at 0.313, and Francisco Lindor hoping to hit something besides the freshly mowed grass with a 0.276 average. For the Cardinals, Mike Siani is really tearing it up with a 0.350 average, Nolan Arenado is chugging along at 0.296, and Alec Burleson, somewhat struggling with 0.262. And let's not forget Willson Contreras sitting at 0.255.
When it comes to their head-to-head, the Mets have been a bit more comfortable when these two meet, particularly in their most recent encounters. And looking at the season records, it's a neck-to-neck race. The Mets are barely ahead at 58-53, with the Cardinals at 57-55.
As for recent performances, the Mets have suffered a bit, winning only 2 of their last 5 games. Losing a couple close ones against Los Angeles isn't going to taste good. The Cardinals, on the other hand, seem to be on somewhat of a roller coaster ride with their last 5 games: beating up on Texas, splitting games in the Windy City, all that jazz.
So, considering all these factors dolled up and ready for action, let's get to the fun part, the prediction. Are you ready?
Albert’s Prediction: New York Mets by 2