It's a 12:10 PM ET getaway game at Citi Field, with Hunter Dobbins (1-0, 2.77) drawing Christian Scott (2-0, 2.50) in a matchup of arms that, on paper, both belong on this list. Dobbins hasn't pitched since April 30 in the data we've got, so there's a real question about how deep he goes. Scott just put up 5.2 shutout innings on the Padres his last time out.
The bigger story is what's happened the last 48 hours. St. Louis has outscored New York 16-2 in the first 2 games of this set and now sits on 5 straight wins overall. Jordan Walker drove in 4 on Wednesday, Alec Burleson did most of the damage on Tuesday's 7-0 shutout, and the Mets' lineup — already short-handed — has looked rough.
That "short-handed" part is doing a lot of work. Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, and Tyrone Taylor are all on the 10-day IL, Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes aren't walking through that door, and the bullpen is held together by minor-league deals. Francisco Alvarez did get back this week and homered Wednesday, which is the one piece of good news Mets fans can grab onto.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton RP — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse SP — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos RP — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson SP — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson RP — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez RP — The Cardinals recalled Fernandez from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Waddell RP — Waddell (shoulder) picked up the win after allowing three runs on four hits while striking out two across three innings during Saturday's game against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
- Day-To-DayAdbert Alzolay RP — The Mets reassigned Alzolay to minor-league camp Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayMike Tauchman RF — Tauchman (knee) is still rehabbing at the Mets' spring training complex and has yet to resume baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayGrae Kessinger 3B — no
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques RP — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget RP — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas 3B — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Polanco 1B — An MRI on Polanco's left ankle/Achilles tendon came back negative Tuesday, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.
On the Cardinals side it's just Ramon Urias and a few bullpen arms — nothing that explains why this team is suddenly steamrolling people. They're 37-28 and 9 games clear of the Mets in the standings, and the vibes gap is somehow even wider than that. Christian Scott has been the Mets' most reliable starter in a rotation that desperately needs one, so if New York is going to salvage anything from this homestand, today's the day.
Carlos Mendoza is publicly backing his guys but the lineup card is going to look thin again. A getaway-day matinee against a hot opponent with your two best position players in street clothes is a tough ask. Scott has to be sharp and the bats have to wake up — or this thing is 3-zip and the flight to the next series gets very quiet.