The New York Mets are now missing their top three starting pitchers as Max Scherzer has been placed on the DL with an oblique strain and will miss six to eight weeks. They are already without Jacob deGrom indefinitely with a stress reaction in his right scapula, and Tylor Megill is sidelined with tendinitis in his right bicep. This latest injury is huge for the Mets as they will be without their two aces, Scherzer and deGrom, at least until July. Scherzer was 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA before leaving in the sixth inning of Wednesday night’s start. 

Trevor Story of the Boston Red Sox came out of his season slump on Thursday night with a historic performance at Fenway Park. He started the year hitting .194 with no home runs in his first 105 at-bats. Last night against the Mariners, Story went 4-for-4 with three homers, seven RBIs, and one stolen base. The first-year player for Boston was acquired in the offseason from the Rockies and has been red-hot in his last 40 appearances at the plate, where he is hitting .333, with five home runs and six walks. 

Several games are on the schedule tonight in Major League Baseball, with a few interesting matchups on tap. Here’s a look at a couple of key games set for Friday, and remember, use great baseball betting software from one of our recommended sportsbooks.

Cards and Pirates Battle for Position in NL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals travel to face the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first of a three-game series on Friday night. The two teams last met in the season-opening series in which the Cardinals took two of three at home. The Cardinals are second in the division, four games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, with the Pirates sitting in third place and just 3.5 games below St. Louis. 

The Cardinals have been slumping recently and are just 4-8 in their last 12 games. They dropped three of four games to the Mets in their previous series at Citi Field in New York. Pittsburgh is 5-5 in their last ten games. They’re seeking their second straight win after recently being shut out by the Cubs in two of the three games in their series at Wrigley Field. Adam Wainwright gets the start for the Cardinals, while the Pirates will send Zach Thompson to the hill for his sixth start of the season. 

St. Louis has the pitching advantage in this game and will win on the road. 

Mets Hit The Road to Face Rockies

The New York Mets take their National League-best road record to face the Colorado Rockies for the first of a three-game series. The Mets are 13-8 on the road, while Colorado holds one of the league’s best records at home at 13-9. New York leads the NL East by seven games over the Philadelphia Phillies, and Colorado is fourth in the NL West, seven games out of first place behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

New York has won two straight and took three of four games against the Cardinals this week at home. Colorado has been in a major slump since starting the season 15-10 and has won just three of their last nine games overall. Despite their positive record at home, they have lost four of the last six games at Coors Field. Carlos Carrasco will put his 3-1 record on the line for the Mets, while German Marquez takes the mound for Colorado and is 1-1 with a 6.04 ERA at home. 

The Mets win easily in this game for their second straight victory.