GAME PREVIEW – Palm Beach Cardinals at St. Lucie Mets 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, 2026 Clover Park, Port St. Lucie, Fla. Forecast: 73 degrees, clouds

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Interstat) – The Palm Beach Cardinals (13-5) will attempt to bounce back from a loss Thursday night when they visit the St. Lucie Mets (9-9) on Friday at Clover Park. First pitch is set for 7 p.m., with the temperature expected to hover around 73 degrees under cloudy skies.

Right-hander Cam Tilly (1-0) is scheduled to start for Palm Beach. The Cardinals have won two of three games in the current series, including an 11-3 victory Thursday and a 17-2 rout Tuesday, but dropped Wednesday’s matchup 5-2.

Palm Beach enters the game with the best record in the Florida State League, powered by a lineup that has scored at least 11 runs in two of the last three meetings with St. Lucie. Left-hander Jack Martinez, who will be available out of the bullpen, has been dominant in his last four appearances, including a 4.2-inning outing Thursday in which he allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out seven.

St. Lucie, which sits at .500, has alternated wins and losses over its last six games. Outfielder JT Benson has been a bright spot, collecting two hits, including a home run, in Thursday’s loss. Benson has reached base in five of his last seven contests and drove in at least one run in five of those games.

The Mets will look to even the series before the teams meet again Saturday and Sunday.

According to Interstat’s ELO model, St. Lucie holds a 50.30 percent probability of winning, though the projection system predicts a 7-6 final in favor of Palm Beach.

NOTES: Palm Beach travels to Palm Beach Gardens for a six-game series against Clearwater starting Tuesday. St. Lucie opens a six-game road trip against Tampa on Wednesday.