Mets Announce Starting Pitchers for Home Series vs NL Wild Card-Leading Cardinals

Freddy Peralta will be the Mets' series opener against the Cardinals this week. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

After spending the past week on the road, where they took on the Mariners and Padres, the Mets return to the friendly confines of Citi Field for a three-game set against the Cardinals, which is slated to begin on Tuesday evening.

This will be the second time that these two teams have faced each other. In their first meeting in St. Louis at the end of March, the Cardinals took two out of three games against the Mets. New York’s offense scuffled in that series, only averaging 1.6 runs per game.

However, offense shouldn’t be a huge issue heading into Tuesday night’s contest against the Cardinals, as the Mets have scored five or more runs in three out of their last four games. New York coincidentally went 3-1 over that stretch.

Carson Benge's recent contributions have played a big role in the Mets' recent offensive success. | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the Cardinals, who have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season, lead the National League Wild Card race with a 35-28 record. St. Louis is four games over .500 on the road in 2026 (16-12) and currently riding a four-game winning streak, including a three-game sweep over the Cincinnati Reds.

If the Mets want to make up ground in the wild race, it will start with taking down the Cardinals. And luckily for New York, they have a couple of their best starting pitchers on the mound. Below, we’ll take a look at the pitching matchups for this season and give our thoughts on who has the advantage.

Tuesday, June 9 (7:10 p.m. ET): Dustin May (STL) vs. Freddy Peralta (NYM)

• Dustin May: 3-6, 4.59 ERA (12 starts)
• Freddy Peralta: 4-4, 3.63 ERA (13 starts)

The Mets will have their ace on the mound in Freddy Peralta, who faced this Cardinals’ club on April 1 in St. Louis. The 30-year-old starter pitched well in what was his second-ever start for New York, as he allowed three hits, two walks, and one earned run while striking out seven across 5 1/3 innings of work.

Peralta did not get a decision in the game, as the Mets went on to lose 2-1 in extra innings. That said, the veteran right-handed hurler will look to pick up the win on Tuesday night. He hasn’t had overwhelming success at home this season, with a 2-2 record and 4.19 ERA across eight starts. Opponents are also hitting .246 against Peralta at Citi Field this season.

However, in his last three starts at Citi Field, the Mets have been on the winning side. He got lit up in his last outing at home against the Marlins, who tagged Peralta for eight hits and four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched.

Peralta also allowed a walk but had five strikeouts, despite it being tied for his second-shortest outing this season. In 21 games (17 starts) vs. the Cardinals, the veteran starting pitcher owns a 5-6 record and 4.50 ERA. He’s seen St. Louis a lot throughout his career, thanks to his time in Milwaukee.

Freddy Peralta isn't a stranger to facing the Cardinals, having taken them on once already this season. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Dustin May hasn’t been great on the road this season for the Cardinals. The right-handed hurler owns a 1-3 record and a 4.23 ERA in five starts. He’s allowed four home runs, which is a stark contrast to what he’s done at home (one homer), but opponents are only hitting .245.

In his last six starts, the Cardinals have been on the losing side five times, despite May having a 4.00 ERA and racking up 38 strikeouts in 36 innings of work. However, May has surrendered at least three earned runs four times during that stretch, which could work well in the Mets’ favor.

Game 1 advantage: Mets

Wednesday, June 10 (7:10 p.m. ET): Andre Pallante (STL) vs. Christian Scott (NYM)

• Andre Pallante: 6-4, 3.96 ERA (12 starts)
• Christian Scott: 2-0, 2.50 ERA (8 starts)

The Mets’ hitters will have their hands full with Andre Pallante, who is having one of his better years on the mound. The 27-year-old starting pitcher has pitched well on the road this season, recording a 4-0 record and a 2.67 ERA.

Opponents are also only hitting .175 against Pallante on the road, compared to .289 at home in 2026. This will be his second time facing the Mets this season. Pallante led St. Louis to a 3-0 win on March 30, holding the Mets’ offense to three hits across five innings of work. He didn’t have a bunch of strikeouts (three), but it doesn’t matter when you get 10 groundball outs.

For the season, Pallante has a 51.0% groundball rate and a hard-hit rate of 36.3%, which is the lowest of his career.

Christian Scott will be aiming for a third consecutive win when he faces the Cardinals. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

If the Mets’ offense does struggle, it will put a lot of pressure on the 26-year-old Scott. The good news for New York is that Scott has gone at least five innings in his last three starts, which has led to two Mets’ wins. 

The Coconut Creek, FL native has a 0.55 ERA over that stretch, scattering 12 hits, six walks, and one earned run, while striking out 16 batters in 16.1 innings. The Cardinals are batting .240 as a team and have produced the 11th-fewest home runs (50) against right-handed pitching.

Game 2 advantage: Even

Thursday, June 11 (1:10 p.m. ET): Hunter Dobbins (STL) vs. TBD

• Hunter Dobbins: 1-0, 2.77 ERA (3 appearances/1 start)
• TBD for Mets

As of right now, the Mets haven’t announced who will start the series finale on Thursday. ESPN projects Nolan McLean will be on the bump after pitching six strong innings against the Padres on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old McLean allowed three hits, three walks, an earned run, and struck out five on 101 pitches in his last start. The right-handed starter had a bumpy May, in which he posted an ERA of 6.10, allowed 21 earned runs, 14 walks, and six home runs in 31 innings.

The hope is that his first start of this month against the Padres is a sign of things to come. As for the Cardinals, they’ll be running out Hunter Dobbins, who has been working as a bulk reliever in his last two outings against the Cubs and Reds.

His first and only start this season was on April 30 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he gave up five walks, three earned runs, and two hits, while striking out four in 4 1/3 innings.

This season, lefties have had more success against Dobbins, hitting .273 with a .771 OPS. If you’re MJ Melendez, A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge and Juan Soto, you like your chances to do some damage against the former Red Sox pitcher.

Game 3 advantage: Mets (if McLean is on the mound)