PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Palm Beach Cardinals, riding a scorching-hot stretch and holding the league’s best record, visit Clover Park on Saturday to face the St. Lucie Mets in a 76-degree evening with clear skies. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

Palm Beach (14-5) sends right-hander Jose Chirinos (1-0) to the mound. The Cardinals have won four of their last five games, outscoring opponents 54-26 over that span. St. Lucie (9-10) looks to snap a two-game skid after dropping 12-4 and 11-3 decisions to Palm Beach on Thursday and Friday.

Players to watch

Cardinals third baseman Jack Gurevitch has been the engine of the Palm Beach offense. In his last 10 games, he owns four multi-hit performances, including a 3-for-6, one-homer, four-RBI outburst in Friday’s 12-4 win. He also drove in five runs on April 21 and has homered in three of his last eight contests. Gurevitch is hitting .333 (9-for-27) with three home runs and 14 RBIs over his past seven games.

Mets designated hitter AJ Salgado provides St. Lucie’s best hope for a spark. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI in Friday’s loss. Salgado has hits in seven of his last nine games, including a 2-for-4, two-RBI effort on April 16. He has been inconsistent, however, posting four hitless games in that same stretch.

Series trends

Palm Beach has dominated the season series, winning four of seven meetings. The Cardinals have scored at least 11 runs in three of those wins. St. Lucie’s lone victory in the past seven matchups came April 22, a 5-2 decision. The Mets have lost four straight to Palm Beach entering Saturday.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Palm Beach victory. The ELO model gives the Cardinals a 50.9 percent probability to win.

Up next

The teams conclude the four-game series Sunday at Clover Park before Palm Beach returns home to host Clearwater on April 28, and St. Lucie visits Tampa on April 29.