The St. Louis Cardinals denied the Detroit Tigers a three-game sweep at Busch Stadium last night as they won the series finale 2-1. I like them to build on that momentum and win the opener of a four-game set at Citi Field tonight.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Cardinals will hand the ball to John Lackey (2-2, 3.22 ERA) who's been solid all season long and conceded just four runs on 16 hits over 19 innings in his last two starts. He should be able to keep the Mets bats quiet tonight as well as he's made two career starts against New York over his career, winning one while posting a 2.70 ERA. The Mets will counter with right-hander Matt Harvey (5-1, 2.31 ERA) who's had a spectacular start to the year. He's not fared well against the Cardinals in the past though as he's yet to defeat St. Louis losing both of the previous meetings. The Cardinals have proved to have a significant advantage over right-handers and have won 21 of their last 26 games when facing a right-handed starter.

2. Road Warriors - While we should acknowledge that the Mets have the best home-record in the majors, let's not forget that the Cardinals are 8-2 in their last 10 road games versus a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.

3. X-Factor - The Cardinals are 4-1 in their last five during game 1 of a series while the Mets are 1-4 in their last five series openers.

Selection: This is a play on the St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (8*)