Struggling NL blue-bloods collide in what should be a desperate three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (27-42) and New York Mets (32-36) this weekend. First pitch of Friday’s opener is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field in Queens. Miles Mikolas (4-3, 4.02 ERA) gets the ball for the Cards, while New York will hope Tylor Megill (5-4, 5.14) can turn things around amid what’s been a rough season.
St. Louis is a narrow -115 moneyline favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Mets not far behind at -105. The over/under is set at nine.
Cardinals-Mets picks: Friday, June 16
Injury report
Cardinals
Out: RP Ryan Helsley (forearm), OF Lars Nootbaar (back), OF Tyler O’Neill (back), SP Packy Naughton (forearm), RP Wilking Rodriguez (shoulder)
Mets
Out: 1B Pete Alonso (wrist), RP Edwin Uceta (ankle), OF Tim Locastro (thumb), SP Elieser Hernandez (shoulder), RP Sam Coonrod (lat), RP Edwin Diaz (knee), RP Bryce Montes de Oca (elbow), SP Jose Quintana (ribs)
Starting pitchers
Miles Mikolas vs. Tylor Megill
Mikolas will make his 15th start of the season. He recovered from a really bad start to the year with a strong close to May, but the righty is coming off a poor outing in which he allowed five runs over six innings in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Megill has made 13 starts this year and is coming off his worst appearance of the season. He allowed nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Over/Under pick
These are two average offenses in on-base percentage, and these starting pitchers are good enough to avoid two poor starts in a row. This could be a strong buy-low spot for the under.
Pick: Under 9
Moneyline pick
I have more trust in Mikolas with what he’s done over his career, and this could be a strong bounce-back spot for him. The Cardinals rank higher than the Mets in runs per game, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, so there’s a lot to like about St. Louis on Friday night.
Pick: Cardinals