Ed Scimia
• Betting Analyst
17+ years betting experience
Updated:
Mar 30, 2026 , 01:23 PM ET
• 4 min read
Scimia’s prediction: Mets stroll to easy win in St. Louis.
Photo By – Reuters Connect. Clay Holmes of the New York Mets.
The New York Mets will hit the road for the first time this season as they visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
St. Louis is looking to build for the future rather than win now, and my Mets vs. Cardinals predictions expect the Redbirds to be outmatched tonight.
Let’s take a closer look at this game with my free MLB picks for Monday, March 30.
Mets vs Cardinals predictions
Mets vs Cardinals best bet: Mets -1.5 (+114)
The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the few teams pretty much admitting they’re rebuilding in 2026, with a roster designed more to develop talent than win games.
While St. Louis won two of three against the Rays to open the season, expectations remain low.
The top of the New York Mets lineup should find success against righty Kyle Leahy, with Juan Soto boasting a career .999 OPS against right-handed pitching.
Add in the fact that Clay Holmes should give New York the pitching edge, and I like the Mets to cover the run line at plus-money.
COVERS INTEL: Clay Holmes has traditionally gotten off to fast starts to the season, going 6-2 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.140 WHIP in March and April for his career.
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Mets vs Cardinals same-game parlay (SGP)
Along with taking the Mets to win tonight, I’m going to take two of their stars to make an impact on the offensive end.
Soto has already shown what he can do in the early going, hitting .357 with three RBI in New York’s opening three-game series against the Pirates.
On the other hand, Bo Bichette has struggled in his Mets debut, going just 1-for-14 so far with eight strikeouts. There’s little doubt he’ll turn things around, however, and I’m betting on the former Blue Jays star to pick up 2+ combined hits, runs, and RBI tonight.
Mets vs Cardinals SGP
Mets -1.5
Juan Soto Over 0.5 RBI
Bo Bichette Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI
Mets vs Cardinals home run pick: Jorge Polanco (+600)
Jorge Polanco is only 1-for-10 to start the season, but he did flash his power during spring training, hitting two homers in 29 at-bats. And while Polanco has never been an elite slugger, he was consistent in Minnesota and Seattle over the past five years, homering at least 14 times each season and hitting 26 dingers in 2025.
Most of all, I’m backing Polanco because of the generous odds here.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 2-1, +0.82 units
SGPs: 1-2, +1.03 units
HR picks: 0-3, -3.00 units
Mets vs Cardinals odds
Moneyline: New York -148 | St. Louis +126
Run line: New York -1.5 | St. Louis +1.5
Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Mets vs Cardinals trend
The Mets went 2-0 against the Cardinals with Holmes on the mound in 2025, covering the run line both times. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Cardinals.
How to watch Mets vs Cardinals and game info
Location
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Date
Monday, March 30, 2026
First pitch
7:45 p.m. ET
TV
SNY, CARD
Mets starting pitcher
Clay Holmes
(2025: 12-8, 3.53 ERA)
Cardinals starting pitcher
Kyle Leahy
(2025: 4-2, 3.07 ERA)
Mets vs Cardinals latest injuries
Mets vs Cardinals weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Ed Scimia has been writing about the gaming industry for over 15 years. He graduated from Syracuse University with degrees in Magazine Journalism and Political Science in 2003, and has covered major gambling events like the World Series of Poker in his career. Since joining Covers in 2022, Ed has offered his sports betting analysis primarily on MLB, NFL, college football, and college basketball games, but is willing to take on any sport.
His betting strategy focuses more on finding line value based on deviations from the market rather than traditional handicapping, primarily shopping between DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics in his home state of Connecticut, though he’s not afraid to do deep game analysis to find profitable bets at any book.
Outside of gambling, Ed is an avid curler who competes in mixed doubles on the World Curling Tour and runs a popular curling YouTube channel, Chess on Ice. That experience has come in handy during the Olympics, when he has proven to be a successful curling bettor as well.Â
Ed’s advice to new bettors is to always open multiple sportsbook accounts and check the odds at each before placing any bet. Successful sports betting is about consistently beating the closing line value, which requires finding spots where one book is offering odds far better than the rest of the market and jumping on those opportunities.
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