The Mets are going to be battle tested throughout the regular season. Jerry Manuel’s club is 3 and 6 in their quest for a playoff run in the 2010 season. The schedule is stacked against the Mets as they take on the 6-3 St. Louis Cardinals; a very balanced squad in the National League.

However, the Mets are in serious need of some changes in their pitching lineup. John Maine gave up 12 earned runs in his last two starts against the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies. He is a concern for Manuel, but taking him out of the rotation now isn’t going to help with deficits. Maine will pitch Sunday night against Adam Wainwright.

Oliver Perez (0-1) with a 6.35 ERA will face Chris Carpenter (1-0) in the first match up, but Perez has tons of problems with his control and is very wild in the strike zone. This could cause some serious problems for the Mets.

It’s an important series for the Mets to beat the St. Louis Cardinals. David Wright has 3 homers and 6 RBI’s in 9 games with 28 at bats. The bullpen has been outstanding with an ERA under 2.00. This is wonderful news for the Mets club, which has had a disheartening start thus far.

For the Cardinals, Albert Pujols is getting off to another fast start with 5 homers and 15 RBI’s in his first 9 games. Also, the Cardinals have a young star in Colby Rasmus, who has the chance of setting the bar for players Pujols, Holliday, and Ludwick.

The Cardinals have the second best lineup in the National League, but very dangerous pitching with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Kyle Loshe, Jamie Garcia, and Brady Penny.

If the Mets want to win more games, starting pitching is very key!