Citi Field hosts an MLB battle between the New York Mets and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

Jake Westbrook gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Cardinals on this day; he's 7-4 on the season. The Mets, meanwhile, will counter with Jonathon Niese, who will be looking to improve on his 9-7 mark.



View St Louis vs NY Mets Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as +-120 moneyline underdogs in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 8 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Mets, most recently No. 3 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Cardinals, who rate a National League No. 7 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features New York's National League No. 5-ranked scoring average of 4.4 runs per game, against a Cardinals offense rated No. 1 and scoring 4.6 runs per game in the league. The Mets have averaged 9.1 hits per game to date this season, almost the same as the Cardinals hitters have managed (9.1 per nine innings).

New York owns the National League's No. 8 defense, allowing 4.3 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with St. Louis' National League No. 11-rated defense.

Last time out for St. Louis, they were a 6-5 loser as they battled the Mets on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Mets at -122 were rewarded, while the 11 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. St. Louis lost in extra innings against the Mets on Wednesday as New York edged them 6-5 at Citi Field.




St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After playing NY Mets are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

New York Mets Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Florida are 3-7
After playing St. Louis are 5-5
After a win are 6-4

A few Cardinals at Mets trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis' last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis' last 6 games when playing NY Mets
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Mets
NY Mets are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets' last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets' last 6 games at home


Next up:
St. Louis at Pittsburgh, Friday, July 22
NY Mets at Florida, Friday, July 22