Mets at Cardinals
Jay Bruce paid immediate dividends on the three-year, $39 million contract he signed in January with a fast start to the season before the bottom fell out during a 1-for-22 stretch at the plate. Undaunted, Bruce has slowly regained his form by cashing in at the plate and bids to send the New York Mets (15-6) to a series victory versus the host St. Louis Cardinals (13-9) on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.
Bruce capped a three-hit performance with a homer in the 10th inning of a 6-5 triumph Tuesday, but the three-time All-Star is an abysmal 1-for-31 with 13 strikeouts versus Wednesday starter Michael Wacha. Fellow outfielder Yoenis Cespedes launched a mammoth three-run shot to improve to 5-for-16 with two homers, seven RBIs and three runs scored in four games against St. Louis this season. While the Mets have won three of those meetings and eight of 10 overall on the road, the Cardinals were left licking their wounds after just their second loss in 10 outings. Tommy Pham continued his torrid start to the season by reaching base on all five of his plate appearances, giving him 15 hits in his last nine games overall and six in his last three meetings with New York.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Steven Matz (1-1, 4.42 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (3-1, 4.22)
Matz aims to avenge his April 1 setback to St. Louis after surrendering two homers and three runs total in four innings of a 5-1 loss. The 26-year-old also exited after four frames in his last outing against Washington, although he had retired 10 in a row after serving up a three-run homer in the first. Pham and Paul DeJong are a combined 7-for-7 with three homers and four RBIs versus Matz, while the left-hander has limited the rest of the Cardinals to going just 7-for-33 at the plate.
Wacha sputtered out of the gate after yielding two homers and four runs total in 4 2/3 innings of a 6-2 setback against the Mets on March 31. The 26-year-old answered that outing with three straight wins, highlighted by a strong effort against Cincinnati on Friday in which he allowed season lows in runs (one) and walks (one) while going 6 2/3 innings in the 4-2 victory. Wacha owns a 4-2 mark with a 1.09 WHIP in six career meetings with the Mets.
WALK-OFFS
1. DeJong is 5-for-15 with two homers versus New York this season and 6-for-16 with two homers and six RBIs during his four-game hitting streak.
2. The Mets have rallied for 10 wins this season, tied with Philadelphia for the most in the majors.
3. St. Louis LF Marcell Ozuna is 1-for-23 in his last six contests on the heels of a 12-game hitting streak.