(Photo credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

Jordan Walker and the St. Louis Cardinals will look to build on an encouraging season-opening series when they begin a three-game set against the visiting New York Mets on Monday night.

St. Louis took two of three games from the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, while New York won its first two games against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates before losing 4-3 in 10 innings on Sunday.

Walker slugged a three-run homer among his three hits in the Cardinals' 11-7 loss to the Rays on Sunday. After batting .205 in spring training, he is 4-for-10 with one homer, six runs, three RBIs, two doubles and two walks through three games.

'I feel like his swings have looked better and his approach has been better,' St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. 'Then you look at (Sunday's) results, and that's a really, really good day. I'm proud of the work being put in and him just continuing to stay locked into the process and not letting some of the noise and results affect his day-to-day work.'

A first-round pick by the Cardinals in 2020, the 23-year-old Walker is committed to improving his plate discipline after batting .215 with 126 strikeouts in 363 at-bats last season.

'It's nice that the effort that I put in during the offseason showed (Sunday),' the outfielder said. 'I've been trying to keep my head clear, and this is a day that I can come back to like a blueprint.'

St. Louis will continue its season-opening homestand with the series against the Mets, who will send right-hander Clay Holmes (12-8, 3.53 ERA in 2025) to the mound on Monday.

Holmes made a successful transition to starting pitcher last season after spending most of his career as a reliever. He made a team-high 31 starts last season while throwing a career-high 165 2/3 innings.

Nolan Gorman is hitless in six at-bats against the 33-year-old Holmes, who is 1-2 with a 5.76 ERA in 13 career games (two starts) vs. St. Louis.

New York has added several new regulars this season, including third baseman Bo Bichette, who is 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts in three games. After the loss on Sunday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was quick to support the two-time All-Star.

'He is missing good pitches early in counts, and then they are making him chase, especially at the top of the zone,' Mendoza said. 'He is going to swing. He is going to go out there, and he is going to hack. He is a good hitter.'

Bichette was booed on Sunday by the Citi Field crowd, but teammate Francisco Lindor is confident those same fans will be cheering for the infielder soon.

'He's one of the best hitters in the game,' Lindor said of Bichette, 28, who is a career .293 hitter. 'He's going to have a lot of big moments for us.'

Bichette will seek to get untracked against St. Louis right-hander Kyle Leahy (4-2, 3.07 ERA in 2025), who begins the season in the rotation after serving as a reliever in all but one of his first 98 career appearances.

Leahy, 28, solidified his spot in the rotation after going 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA in five starts during spring training. He owns a 1.69 ERA in three career relief appearances against New York covering 5 1/3 innings.

--Field Level Media