The St. Louis Cardinals doubled their road win total with a series split against the Cincinnati Reds and will return to Busch Stadium on Friday for a three-game series against the Mets. In the first meeting between the teams this season, the Mets handed the Cardinals a four-game sweep at Citi Field.

The first game of the series will feature a pitching rematch between Sonny Gray and Clay Holmes on Friday night. On Saturday, the Cardinals will get their first look of the season at Tylor Megill while the same will be true for the Mets against Erick Fedde. Andre Pallante will look for revenge on Sunday as the Mets will go with a yet to be named spot starter for the series finale.

In the first meeting between the game one starters, each pitcher notched a quality start but Clay Holmes was just a bit better for the Mets as he gave up one run in his six innings of work. The Cardinals did not get to Holmes until his last inning and he needed some help from his defense to keep the score where it was. Sonny Gray was also solid in that game, giving up three runs in six innings and tallying six strikeouts. Gray has worked at least six innings in each of his last three starts.

In game two, Erick Fedde will look to move past his previous start that saw him allow seven earned runs but he was able to save the bullpen and still battle into the sixth inning. After Fedde gave up six runs in Boston, he responded with three straight quality starts so he can hopefully go on a run like that again starting with Saturday’s game. Tylor Megill has been phenomenal so far this season, posting a 1.74 ERA in 31 innings. Over his last two outings, he has struck out 19 batters in 11.2 innings while giving up only three runs.

In the series finale, the Mets will be going with a spot starter to give their rotation some extra rest as they continue a stretch of 13 straight games without an off day after their trip to St. Louis. The Cardinals would have been in that same stretch if not for Tuesday’s rainout against the Reds so they will opt to keep their rotation plans the same. Andre Pallante will take the ball for Sunday’s afternoon game as he looks to continue his decent start to the 2025 campaign. In his last outing, Pallante fell victim to a quiet Cardinals offense when he was saddled with the loss despite only giving up three runs in six innings.

NOTES:

• Ivan Herrera is currently on a rehab assignment with Memphis and homered in his first game back. He will have to catch back-to-back days to be considered ready for a return.
• Ryan Loutos, who was designated for assignment when the Cardinals called up Jose Barrero, was traded to the Dodgers for cash considerations. Loutos helped develop Cardinals pitching technology via app development.
• Francisco Lindor is hitting .389 with two homers this season against the Cardinals.
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