Cardinals vs. Mets Predictions, Picks, Odds & Starting Pitchers: Today, 4/19
With the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets getting their series started back on Thursday, we’re in store for a long four-game series, which features the third matchup on FOX. While it may not be a divisional rivalry, for this marquee matchup on national TV, we’ve got our best Cardinals vs. Mets predictions for you.
With the best bet from our Cardinals vs. Mets picks targeting a player prop, we’ll also be perfectly pairing it with a new, guaranteed Sleeper Fantasy promo code bonus.
Cardinals vs. Mets Predictions For MLB On FOX, 4/19
Since the offseason, when it comes to the Mets, it’s been all about one thing - the $765 million dollar man, Juan Soto. We’ll get more in depth when it comes to the former cross-town rival, but let’s just say that it hasn’t paid off yet.
As for the Cards, rather than adding a massive slugger, they lost one to that team we just mentioned - the New York Yankees - with Paul Goldschmidt. We bring up those factors for your Cardinals vs. Mets predictions as these are teams that had plenty of optimism AND doubt heading into the 2025 season.
Thus far, they’ve proven to be formidable for sure, but they want more than that. Given today’s starting pitching matchup of St. Louis’ Matt Liberatore and New York’s Kodai Senga, we’d certainly favor the Mets, and it’s why our favorite player prop is focused on that side of the matchup as well.
St. Louis Cardinals: Masyn Winn Who?
The Cardinals have had no shortage of household names like Albert Pujols, and right now, Nolan Arenado. However, arguably the biggest news going on in St. Louis right now is about a young up-and-comer. That would be shortstop Masyn Winn, who was just getting his sophomore campaign started.
He was able to play 150 games in his rookie season, but old, lingering back issues have caught up to him. Thankfully for the Cardinals, we learned before yesterday’s game that he is scheduled for a rehab assignment and could be back as soon as next week. He may not be a Paul Goldschmidt replacement bat, but he’s still a great piece for the team.
New York Mets: Juan Soto’s Struggles
Speaking of big bats, that’s a perfect transition to Juan Soto. Well, it was supposed to be. It didn’t take long for the pessimistic Mets fans to come out - the very first game! It ended with Soto striking out swinging in a loss, but he answered back with a homer the very next night. That surely felt great, but it’s still been mostly a disappointment since then.
The first game of this series was as lackluster as the first game of the entire year. Soto went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and even a double-play out. The big question is whether this is just a slow start or if it will be the case all season thanks to not having another massive bat hitting behind him like Aaron Judge did last year.
How To Watch Cardinals vs. Mets Today
We shared at the open that this game would be featured on FOX, and with it having an earlier fist pitch than the last two days, we’ve got more on how to watch Cardinals vs. Mets today:
- Where: Citi Field in Flushing, New York
- When: 7:10 PM ET on 4/19
- Watch on TV: FOX
- Where to stream: Fubo, MLB.TV
Cardinals vs. Mets Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
With the starting pitching matchup we have on the mound today, we aren’t surprised to see the Cardinals vs. Mets odds clearly favoring New York:
- Run Line: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-145) vs. New York Mets -1.5 (+120)
- Money Line: St. Louis Cardinals (+145) vs. New York Mets (-175)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 8.5 (-110) vs. Under 8.5 (-110)
Cardinals vs. Mets Best Bet: Kodai Senga Over 5.5 Strikeouts (More Player Projections At Sleeper Fantasy)
Whether you’re in the camp of Juan Soto being able to continue finding his rhythm or have your doubts, we’re not going to focus on the plate at all for our Cardinals vs. Mets predictions. Well, not from the New York perspective at least.
On the mound for the Mets will be Kodai Senga, who many fans may forget had some serious hype coming into the MLB. However, that was back in 2023, as he missed virtually all of 2024 last year. He had just a singular start last season, and it was one that should keep fans optimistic about him.
He was returning from a shoulder capsule strain when he had an impressive nine-strikeout game against the Atlanta Braves, who were far stronger at the time. Unfortunately, he then missed the remainder of the season with a strained calf muscle.
Thankfully for Mets fans, he’s proven that he can bounce back, as his first start of this year was an eight-strikeout game against the Miami Marlins. Despite those two games we just referenced, we’re getting a very friendly line for today’s start. That is in large part thanks to seeing him through just four K’s his last time out.
Well, that came against the Athletics, who have struck out the second-fewest times this season. What we saw the last time that Senga faced the Cards was him ringing up eight hitters. For what it’s worth, the Mets have the best record for unders this year, so you could make that part of your Cardinals vs. Mets picks as well.
Even still, we’ll take the more specific approach and go with Kodai Senga over 5.5 strikeouts (target his player card at Sleeper Fantasy) as the best bet from our Cardinals vs. Mets predictions.
Cardinals vs. Mets Injury Report & Starting Pitchers
In terms of Cardinals vs. Mets injury news, as it was the biggest storyline, St. Louis is most concerned about Masyn Winn. In New York, their biggest injury news is that of Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez on the 10-day injured list.
As for the Cardinals vs. Mets starters today:
- St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher today: Matt Liberatore (1-1, 3.93ERA)
- New York Mets starting pitcher today: Kodai Senga (2-1, 1.06 ERA)
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Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.