Expert Picks & How to Watch Mets vs Cardinals

• The Mets are -164 moneyline favorites in this afternoon’s game vs the Athletics
• New York will give the ball to Freddy Peralta (1-0, 7.20 ERA in ’26), while the Cardinals start Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.80 ERA in ’26)
• My MLB expert picks and how to watch the Mets vs Cardinals matchup can be found below, along with current odds

The 2026 campaign keeps on rolling along for the Mets and Cardinals. Both teams are 3-2 during the young season. Online sportsbooks are siding with New York in the MLB odds, and if you’re willing to shop around you can get a slightly better price for the win.

I’ll be backing the team that plays its home games in the Big Apple this afternoon in my Mets vs Cardinals expert picks, while honing in on Freddy Peralta in the props market. Read below for all the reasons why those selections stand out, plus we have the updated odds and how to watch.

Mets vs Cardinals Expert Picks

• Mets Moneyline (-164 at FanDuel)

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The Mets had a strange offseason which left many in the Metropolitan area wondering what would happen. Losing Pete Alonso and whiffing on a few free agent targets seemed less than ideal. However, Freddy Peralta was a nice pickup to say the least. Peralta went 17-6 with a 2,70 ERA and 1.200 WHIP last year. He even finished inside the Top 5 in Cy Young voting. If you are wondering about those early Cy Young odds, we have them here!

The Cardinals meanwhile, will counter with veteran southpaw Matthew Liberatore, hoping to gain a win in this three-game set. Liberatore pitched solid in his season debut with one earned run in five innings. Liberatore keeps trying to improve his ERA and WHIP. He carried a 4.21 ERA and a 1.305 WHIP, alongside a meager 7.2 K/9.

Liberatore headlined a Cardinals staff that struggled as the entire staff was vulnerable. Every starting pitcher wound up with over a 4.00 ERA so runs could be at the offing here. Just think some parts of the Mets offense have not even woke up yet.

Speaking of those bats, they’re led by Francesco Lindor and Juan Soto, with the latter fresh off 43 home runs and a league leading 38 stolen bases. Soto, a MLB MVP odds contender, hit .263 with a .921 OPS and league leading 127 walks. 

New York’s duo rarely strikes out and Lindor has not gotten going yet. He has no home runs in five games but oddly enough two triples and six walks. Expecting the Mets to come out swinging after Tuesday night’s loss is almost inevitable.

By contrast, the Cardinals do struggle to score runs often as they have scored fewer than 700 runs in 2024 and 2025. The 2026 version is around a full run higher offense-wise. A regression feels possible at least.

Mets vs Cardinals Props to Target

• Freddie Peralta 7+ Strikeouts (+116 at DraftKings)

St. Louis struck out 1321 times, averaging 8.15 punch outs per game. Perralta did fan 204 batters last year and had seven in his opening start over just five innings. The chances he can hit that mark again is pretty high here.

He recorded 200+ strikeouts in three straight seasons, showcasing excellent swing and miss stuff. His 11.2 K/9 career rate could go even higher this season in New York against a National League that has not caught up to his repertoire of pitches. His K% rate is basically 30%.

Mets vs Cardinals Odds

At press time, the best place to bet the Mets moneyline is at FanDuel. The sportsbook is trading seven cents cheaper compared to DraftKings just as an example. We have a few more options on the menu too.

Total-wise, the over/under varies depending on where you look. If you want to bet the over, head to DraftKings who have an 7.5 run total listed. If you want to fade offense and bet the under, BetMGM is one of the few books that is hanging a 8 run total as of Wednesday morning.

Odds as of April 1. Make sure you use SBD’s exclusive DraftKings promo code to bet on MLB this Wednesday.

How to Watch Mets vs Cardinals

The opening pitch for the Mets vs Cardinals contest is scheduled for 7:07 pm ET tonight, from Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON.

MLB.TV and ESPN Unlimited will handle broadcast duties outside of the Cardinals region, while Sportsnet NY will provide coverage for New York Metro area viewers. Cardinals.tv gets the coverage in the St. Louis area.

All out-of-market games can be stream on Fubo TV (by way of MLB.tv).