The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals are both battling for the best record in the National League as they square off for Game 1 of a four-game series on Monday. While this is normal territory for the Cardinals, the Mets have surprised many this season as they sit on top of the National League East. A lot of that can be credited to Matt Harvey who takes the mound against John Lackey.
After winning his first five starts of the season, Harvey is suddenly searching for his first win in three starts as he is 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA on the season. The lack of wins is not all Harvey's fault as the Mets seem to fail in the run support category when he is on the mound. The starting pitcher has been backed by one run in each of his last three starts after getting a total of 26 runs in his first four starts. One thing is certain, Harvey looks better than he did before getting Tommy John surgery. His 2.37 ERA is the second best in baseball at the moment, but if he had a weakness, it comes in the form of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Harvey is 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against St. Louis. Harvey is hoping the resurgence of the Mets' offense will help him in a tough test. New York has gotten some life in them over the past two games as they have totaled 19 runs and 25 hits. Curtis Granderson got two home runs in that span while Michael Cuddyer was credited four RBIs. Harvey is hoping the same support comes for him.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals won Sunday against Detroit, but had dropped five of their last seven games prior to that. They avoided the sweep, but their offense has not looked good, scoring just 11 runs in the past five games. Lackey takes the mound being 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA on the season. He is coming off one of his worst starts of the season, giving up five walks and two runs over five innings. He has not seen the Mets since 2008 while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.
