Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (9-9) at New York Mets (11-7)
Time: 6:10pm CT Thursday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Andre Pallante (2-0, 2.20 ERA) vs Griffin Canning (1-0, 4.20 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Mets -135, Cardinals +114
Total: 7.5 (over -118, under -102)
Cardinals Open Series In New York
The St. Louis Cardinals open a seven-game road trip tonight in New York against the Mets in the first of a four-game series.
The Redbirds are coming off series wins over the Phillies and Astros, while the Mets dropped two of three in their most recent series at Minnesota.
Rock-Solid Pallante
The consistent presence that is Andre Pallante will be on the mound tonight for the Cards. Pallante is coming off 7 shutout innings in his last start against the Phillies, and dating back to last season, he has allowed more than 3 earned runs only once in his last 12 starts.
Pallante has thrived since moving into the rotation in the middle of last season. He has made 23 starts since then and is 10-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 127.2 innings.
Canning Underwhelming
Griffin Canning makes the start for the Mets. The right-hander has been considered an under-the-radar pitcher with lots of potential in fantasy circles over the years, but all Canning has done is underwhelm in his career. He has a 4.77 ERA in 102 career appearances (97 starts).
The Cardinals will have to be careful with Pete Alonso in this series. The Polar Bear leads the National League with a .730 slugging percentage and 1.204 OPS, while his .365 batting average trails only Brendan Donovan’s .380 average in the NL.
My Pick
Pallante resides in my circle of trust and I think Canning has been a fraud in his career, so I see some value on the Cardinals in the first five innings at plus money.
Canning has been lucky to have a pedestrian 4.20 ERA this season, as his expected ERA (xERA) is 5.23 - meaning regression is coming.
The Cards also might be catching the Mets at the right time, as Juan Soto is in a funk with just 3 hits over his last 26 at-bats. Overall, the Mets have underachieved offensively this season by scoring 3 runs or less in 11 of their 18 games. The Redbirds meanwhile have scored 3 runs or less in just 4 of their 18 games.
If you’re not familiar with first five inning bets in baseball, this pick is a push if the game is tied after five innings.
Pick: Cardinals moneyline in the first five innings at +100 on DraftKings (bet to -110)
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the Sports Hub STL YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer