Game Chat: Mets vs Cardinals, 7:45 PM

Monday, March 30, 2026 • 7:45 PM
Busch Stadium • St. Louis, MO
RHP Clay Holmes (0-0, -.–) vs. RHP Kyle Leahy (0-0, -.–)
SNY

The Mets start their series against the Cardinals, marking the second consecutive series against an NL Central team. New York looks to build off of what was a mostly successful opening series against the Pirates.

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Juan Soto, LF
3. Bo Bichette, 3B
4. Jorge Polanco, DH
5. Brett Baty, RF
6. Jared Young, 1B
7. Marcus Semien, 2B
8. Carson Benge, CF
9. Francisco Alvarez, C

Starting Pitcher: Clay Holmes

The Mets converted Clay Holmes to a starter in 2025, and he delivered over 33 games (31 starts), pitching 165 2/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.304 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. Like many pitchers on the Mets, Holmes was more effective in the first half of the season, posting a 3.31 ERA over his first 19 games compared to a 3.90 ERA in his last 14. Holmes faced the Cardinals twice last season, holding them to one run over six innings the first time and then three runs over six the second time. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against Holmes:

• Alec Burleson 2-6, K
• Nolan Gorman 0-6, K
• Pedro Pages 0-3, BB
• Thomas Saggese 0-3
• Victor Scott II 1-4, 2 K
• Ramón Urías 3-12, 2B, 5 K
• Jordan Walker 0-4, 2 K
• Masyn Winn 2-3

Opposing Lineup

1. JJ Wetherholt, 2B
2. Ivan Herrera, DH
3. Alec Burleson, 1B
4. Masyn Winn, SS
5. Nolan Gorman, 3B
6. Jordan Walker, RF
7. Nathan Church, LF
8. Pedro Páges, C
9. Victor Scott II

The Cardinals are hoping Kyle Leahy can make the same journey that Clay Holmes has. Last season, he pitched in 62 games totaling 88 innings with a 3.07 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.227 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. The Cardinals have stretched him out over spring training, with him tossing over 70 pitches in each of his last two starts. Spring starts don’t mean anything, but he did have a start against the Mets where he allowed no runs and no hits over four innings back on March 7. He pitched against the Mets in two games last season, totaling 3 1/3 innings, allowing only one run on one hit. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Brett Baty 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-2
• Jorge Polanco 0-1
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-3, HR, K
• Marcus Semien 0-2, BB
• Juan Soto 0-1, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1
• Luis Torrens 0-1
• Mark Vientos 1-2, HR

Game Notes

Per Anthony DiComo of MLB, Carlos Mendoza mentioned Jorge Polanco is dealing with “a little bit of an Achilles issue.” The team is taking caution and having Polanco DH on Monday instead of playing first base.

The Mets own a 28-33 record at Busch Stadium since it opened back in 2006.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Top Prospects. Both the Cardinals and the Mets broke camp with top prospects. Carson Benge’s first hit on Opening Day was a home run, as was Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt’s.
2. Brett Baty. What a start to the season for Brett Baty. He got the Mets on the scoreboard on Opening Day with a bases-clearing triple. He already has four hits, two runs scored and a stolen base while splitting time at DH and first base. Carlos Mendoza said before yesterday’s game that Baty could see time in right field on days when Luis Robert Jr. gets the day off (Benge would slide into center). It’s only been a few games, but Baty looks way more confident this season as he steps into the super-utility role.
3. Cardinals are hitting. All stats are a little silly after three games, because it’s been only three games. Now that we got that out of the way, the Cardinals are fourth in the majors with a .813 OPS (Brewers, Angels and Nationals have the lead). Last year, the Yankees led the league with a .787 OPS, and the Cardinals were 24th with a .693 OPS.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Game Chat: Mets vs Cardinals, 7:45 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.