Mets vs Cardinals Prediction - MLB Picks 8/19/23

St. Louis Cardinals (54-69) vs New York Mets (57-66)

Game Info: Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 7:15 pm (Busch Stadium)

Miles Mikolas (6-8) (4.27) vs Kodai Senga (9-6) (3.30)

Betting Odds: St. Louis Cardinals -110 / New York Mets +100 --- Over/Under: 8.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The St. Louis Cardinals will host the New York Mets for game three of their four-game set this Saturday from Busch Stadium on the MLB Network. New York took game one after leading the whole way, 7-1.

Mets Preview & Projected Starter

New York moved to 56-66 after defeating St. Louis. The Mets have now won five of their last six games, and they’ll attempt to take a 3-0 series lead here Saturday. The New York offense is scoring 3.98 runs per game, while batting .238, with a .318 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.39 ERA, with a 1.35 WHIP.

Kodai Senga (9-6, 3.30 ERA, 149 Ks) will take the mound for New York. The rookie right-hander held his own against Atlanta at home last time out, striking out seven thru six innings to earn his ninth win of the season. Senga has now delivered a quality start in five of his last seven outings, and he’s held teams to three runs of less in nine of his last ten. Senga struck out eight in 6.2 innings against St. Louis back in June, and he’ll look to replicate that effort here.

Mets Player Trends & Props

Pete Alonso has homered in two of the last three games, and he leads the Mets in home runs (37) and RBI (91).

Francisco Lindor has produced a run in five straight games, and he’s second on the team with 22 homers and 73 RBI.

Brandon Nimmo has multiple hits in six of the previous seven games, and he leads NYM in batting (..269) and hits (121), with 18 HR and 51 RBI.

Jeff McNeil homered and plated four runs in the game two victory, and he’s second on the team in batting at .259, with 45 runs batted in.

Cardinals Preview & Projected Starter

St. Louis moved to 54-69 after losing to New York. The Cardinals have now dropped three straight, and they’ll look to avoid another home loss here. The St. Louis offense is scoring 3.97 runs per game, while batting .258, with a .328 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.64 ERA, with a 1.49 WHIP.

Miles Mikolas (6-8, 4.27 ERA, 103 Ks) will start for St. Louis. The veteran right-hander didn’t capitalize on the home matchup with Oakland last time out, allowing four runs in 6.1 innings pitched. Mikolas has now dropped three of his last four starts, and he’ll attempt to turn things around, despite his team’s struggles at the plate.

Cardinals Player Trends & Props

Nolan Arenado has recorded a hit in seven of his last ten games, and he’s St. Louis’ leader in batting (.282), home runs (25) and RBI (84).

Paul Goldschmidt had his five-game hit streak snapped last night, but he still, and he leads the Cards in hits (129), with splits of .275/19/62.

Wilson Contreras has collected a hit in eight of the last nine games, he’s posting a line of .259/13/59.

Corey’s Free Pick

New York and St. Louis have both let fans down this season, and I think the hosts disappoint their supporters even more this Saturday. St. Louis has truly been a mess in a division with no overwhelming favorite. Meanwhile, the Mets have had to deal with the Braves, Phillies and Marlins, all playoff contending teams, and they’ve shown some fight over the past two weeks. Let’s back the Mets to win their fourth straight here.