Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Serves up three homers in loss
Rotowire
Mikolas (1-3) was charged with the loss Saturday against Milwaukee after he allowed five runs on nine hits and no walks across 4.2 innings. He struck out five.
Mikolas gave up a two-run homer to Rhys Hoskins during the opening frame but rebounded and was staked to a 4-2 lead after three innings. The right-hander then surrendered three more runs on a pair of homers in the fourth, setting him up for the loss. The 35-year-old entered Saturday's contest having not given up a homer in his previous three starts. Mikolas has two quality starts in five turns through the rotation but has allowed exactly five runs in each of his other three outings, which results in a 6.49 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over 26.1 frames.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Can't escape fifth in loss
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Mikolas (1-2) took the loss Sunday against the Diamondbacks, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings.
Mikolas tossed four scoreless frames before the Diamondbacks rallied in the fifth and chased him out of the inning. He would allow a sacrifice fly to Jace Peterson and an RBI double to Jake McCarthy before walking consecutive hitters and exiting the game with the bases loaded. The bullpen did him no favors, allowing all three inherited runners to score. Mikolas didn't fool many in this one, registering just five whiffs on 75 pitches. It's been mixed results for Mikolas early on, as he'll take a 5.82 ERA and 1.43 WHIP into his next start, which projects to be against the division-leading Brewers next weekend.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Posts quality start
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Mikolas yielded two runs on six hits and two walks over 6.2 innings during a no-decision Monday. He struck out three during the loss against the Phillies.
Mikolas rolled through four shutout frames before the Phillies put a pair of runs on the board in the fifth inning. It was his second straight quality start after getting tagged with five runs in his season debut. He now owns a 4.76 ERA with a lackluster 12:5 K:BB through 17 innings. Mikolas is lined up to start in Arizona this weekend.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Bounces back with victory
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Mikolas (1-1) picked up the win Tuesday against San Diego, yielding two runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.
Mikolas hasn't had the easiest of starts to open the season, facing the Dodgers in his 2024 debut before Tuesday's contest. However, he's escaped the pair of starts with a 1-1 record and has brought his ERA down to 6.10. With a quality start under his belt, Mikolas will look to keep the ball rolling in his next start, tentatively scheduled for Monday against the Phillies.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Rough start to season
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Mikolas (0-1) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out five.
The Dodgers jumped out to a quick lead on Mikolas, scoring twice in the first inning before the 35-year-old right-hander allowed three more runs on a pair of homers in the third. It's certainly not the start to the season Mikolas wanted after he struggled to a 9-13 record with a 4.78 ERA across 35 starts last year. He'll look to get on track in his next outing, tentatively lined up for early next week in San Diego.
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Named starter for Opening Day
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Manager Oliver Marmol announced Sunday that Mikolas will be the Cardinals' starter for Opening Day against the Dodgers on March 28, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Presumed Opening Day starter Sonny Gray (hamstring) won't be ready to pitch, so Mikolas will instead receive the nod. The 35-year-old retooled his slider during the offseason after a disappointing 2023 that saw him post a 4.78 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 137:39 K:BB across 201.1 innings.
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Trying to shake off poor 2023
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Mikolas is retooling his slider for 2024 after a disappointing 2023 season during which he had a 4.78 ERA over 201.1 innings, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Mikolas' poor whiff rate (16.7 percent) contributed to his problems in 2023. "I'm working on some different breaking balls and working with some other stuff and so far, so good," said Mikolas. "Maybe not so much [changing] the shape as I am mixing things up more. The mix I had last year wasn't overly successful, so maybe it bodes better if I am mixing things up better." As part of his changes, Mikolas also wants to throw fewer strikes -- batters hit .225 off of him after taking two strikes in 2023. Mikolas has a lot to prove as the longest-tenured member of the Cardinals' rotation following Adam Wainwright's retirement, but it's unclear if his offseason changes will help the 35-year-old get his ERA back under 4.00.
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Matches season high for strikeouts
Rotowire
Mikolas (9-13) allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win Sunday over the Reds.
Mikolas matched his season high with 10 strikeouts. He logged quality starts in his last two outings of the season after an inconsistent campaign overall, which saw the veteran right-hander post a 4.78 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 137:39 K:BB across 201.1 innings. Mikolas is under contract for 2024, so he should be a mid-rotation starter for the Cardinals after enduring the worst of his five years with the club in 2023.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Dominant for eighth win
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Mikolas (8-13) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over seven innings against the Brewers. He struck out five.
After allowing five earned runs and taking the loss in each of his last three starts, Mikolas rattled off seven innings of one-run baseball against Milwaukee. The outing marked Mikolas' second in the last 10 starts without allowing a home run. Over that stretch (60 innings), Mikolas owns a 6.00 ERA with a 33:13 K:BB. He's lined up to close out the Cardinals regular season Sunday against the Reds at Busch Stadium.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Start pushed up to Tuesday
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Mikolas will start Tuesday's game in Milwaukee, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Mikolas has flip-flopped with Zack Thompson, who will now start Wednesday's game against the Brewers. Dakota Hudson is on tap for Thursday's series finale. This slight change to the schedule could allow Mikolas to fit in two more starts before the Cardinals' season comes to a close.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Falters in 13th loss
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Mikolas (7-13) took the loss Thursday, allowing five earned runs on nine hits and one walk over five innings against the Brewers. He struck out four.
Everything fell apart for Mikolas in the sixth inning, as he allowed four runs, capped by a Victor Caratini three-run homer, and departed without making an out. This was the 35-year-old's eighth straight start allowing three or more runs, dating back to Aug. 14. Over that span, he has a 7.24 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 23:11 K:BB over 46 innings. Mikolas has pitched to the tune of a 4.95 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 122:37 K:BB over 187.1 innings this season.
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Surrenders five runs in loss
Rotowire
Mikolas (7-12) took the loss against Philadelphia on Saturday, allowing five runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out two batters over six innings.
Mikolas hung tough through four frames and trailed just 2-1 entering the fifth. However, Kyle Schwarber tagged him for a three-run blast in that inning to mar the veteran right-hander's final line. Mikolas rarely helps himself with punchouts -- he's notched exactly two in each of his past four starts -- so he largely has to rely on good control and keeping the ball in the park. The latter hasn't been a strong suit of his of late, as Mikolas has given up six homers over his past three starts -- one more than he had surrendered over his previous eight outings combined.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Gives up pair of homers in loss
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Mikolas (7-11) allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two over 5.1 innings in a loss to the Reds on Sunday.
Mikolas allowed five or more runs in a start for the 10th time this year. He infamously becomes the third pitcher to do so this season, joining Jordan Lyles and Lance Lynn. The 34-year-old Mikolas has allowed three or more runs in each of his last six outings and has given up nine home runs over that span while failing to reach five strikeouts in any of those appearances. After posting extremely strong numbers in 2022, Mikolas has fallen back to Earth this season. He now owns a 4.75 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 116:36 K:BB in 176.1 innings and lines up for a home start against the Phillies next.
