Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Agrees to $40 million extension
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Mikolas agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension with the Cardinals on Friday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
It will be tacked on to the $17 million he's making in 2023 in the final year of a four-year, $68 million contract, so the Cards will now have Mikolas around through 2025. The 34-year-old right-hander made the All-Star team in 2022, holding a 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 153:39 K:BB over 202.1 innings. Mikolas has a limited ceiling in fantasy due to his lack of strikeouts, but elite control and a superb defense behind him should give him a high floor in 2023.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Starting Opening Day
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Mikolas will draw the start for Thursday's Opening Day matchup with the Blue Jays, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Mikolas will replace Adam Wainwright (groin) as the first pitcher to toe the rubber for St. Louis in 2023. The Opening Day start will be the second of his career, and the 34-year-old will look to build off a very successful 2022 campaign in which he posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 202.1 innings in 33 starts for the Cardinals.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Lead candidate for Opening Day
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Mikolas is the leading candidate to start on Opening Day for the Cardinals, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The honor would have almost certainly gone to Adam Wainwright in what is expected to be his farewell MLB season, but it was announced Thursday that Wainwright will begin the year on the IL because of a groin strain. Mikolas was the most reliable starter for St. Louis throughout the 2022 campaign, working to a 3.29 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 202.1 regular-season innings. He'll make his final Grapefruit League start Friday night against the Nationals.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Will piggyback with Lynn vs. Canada
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Mikolas will pitch in relief Monday against Canada in the World Baseball Classic, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander was previously scheduled to start Wednesday against Colombia, but instead that honor will go to Merrill Kelly. Mikolas will instead piggyback with Lance Lynn against Canada in a game the United States realistically must win in order to stay alive in the tournament.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Will face Colombia in WBC
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Mikolas is scheduled to start for Team USA in Wednesday's World Baseball Classic game versus Colombia, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Mikolas got off to a good start in spring training, striking out six batters while walking one and allowed just two hits over five innings across two starts. He'll look to take his success to the international stage for a few weeks. The right-hander is a virtual lock for a spot in the Cardinals' rotation to begin the 2023 season after a solid 2022 in which he posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 153:39 K:BB across 202.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Taking ball in Game 2
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Manager Oliver Marmol announced Mikolas as the starter for Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series versus Philadelphia on Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The veteran right-hander allowed a run over three frames in his final outing of the regular season Monday, and he'll follow Game 1 starter Jose Quintana in the rotation to begin the playoffs for St. Louis. Mikolas threw a career-high 202.1 innings this year and finished with a 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 153:39 K:BB.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Yields run as piggyback reliever
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Mikolas allowed a run on three hits over three innings and did not factor into the decision in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates.
Mikolas followed starter Jose Quintana, who began the game with three innings of one-hit ball. This was Mikolas' last scheduled appearance of the regular season, and he'll end with a 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 153:39 K:BB in a career-high 202.1 innings. He was sharp over his last six outings, giving up nine runs (eight earned) over 34 innings while logging four quality starts in that span. The right-hander will likely be included in the Cardinals' postseason rotation.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Set for tandem start
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Mikolas and Jose Quintana will both pitch in Monday's game in Pittsburgh, with both starting pitchers scheduled to work about three innings, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Marmol didn't specify which of the two pitchers will be designated as the starter Monday, but whomever works second will presumably have the better chance at factoring into any decision. With St. Louis having already punched its ticket to the postseason, Marmol isn't eager to overextend any of the team's key pitchers in advance of the Cardinals' playoff opener Friday.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Takes tough-luck loss
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Mikolas (11-13) took the loss against San Diego on Wednesday despite allowing just an unearned run on three hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out six batters.
This was one of Mikolas' best starts of the season, as it was the fifth time he's finished without surrendering an earned run and the seventh time he's allowed three or fewer hits. However, the right-hander got no run support from the St. Louis offense and was saddled with his third straight defeat. Mikolas is one of six pitchers with 13 or more losses this season, but he's the only one among that group with a sub-4.00 ERA. In fact, he has a solid 3.35 ERA on the campaign, and his 1.04 WHIP ranks within the top 20 among qualified pitchers.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Throws quality start but takes loss
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Mikolas (11-12) took the loss against Cincinnati on Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three batters over six innings.
Mikolas was stung by the long ball in the contest, as solo homers by Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino accounted for two of the three runs against him. The right-hander still managed to get through six frames and notch a quality start, but a lack of run support resulted in his 12th loss. Mikolas is tied for sixth in the league with 20 quality starts on the campaign, but he's also been blown up multiple times, resulting in a middle-of-the-road 3.46 ERA through 30 outings.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Fans eight in loss
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Mikolas (11-11) yielded four runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings Friday, striking out eight and taking a loss against the Pirates.
Through the first four innings, the only damage against Mikolas was Ben Gamel's solo shot in the second frame. The veteran righty then gave up three runs in the fifth, including Oneil Cruz's two-run triple. Since coughing up 10 runs in Colorado on Aug. 9, Mikolas is 3-2 with a 3.15 ERA over his last six outings. On the year, he's sporting a 3.42 ERA with a 135:33 K:BB through 29 starts. Mikolas is lined up to face the Reds at home next week.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Dominant in win over Cubs
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Mikolas (11-10) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three over eight shutout innings to earn the win Sunday over the Cubs.
Mikolas mostly pitched to contact, amassing just eight whiffs while throwing 68 of 97 pitches for strikes. One of the two hits he allowed was a Franmil Reyes double, but Mikolas had no trouble eliminating the few scoring threats that the Cubs produced. He's gone eight innings in three of his last six starts, but he's been ineffective in the other three starts in that span. Overall, this solid outing lowered the right-hander's ERA to 3.32 with a 1.01 WHIP and 127:31 K:BB through 176.1 innings across 28 starts this year. He's projected for a road start in Pittsburgh next weekend.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Taken deep three times
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Mikolas allowed four runs on six hits and a walk over 4.1 innings against the Reds on Monday. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.
Mikolas rolled through four shutout frames before coughing up three home runs in the fifth inning, including Chuckie Robinson's two-run blast. The 34-year-old righty entered the All-Star break with a 2.54 ERA but he's posted an unsightly 5.81 ERA in eight starts since. Mikolas now owns a 3.48 ERA with a 124:30 K:BB through 168.1 innings. He's lined up to face the Cubs at home this weekend.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Six innings in loss
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Mikolas (10-10) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk over 6.2 innings against the Cubs. He struck out three.
After going 1-2-3 to start the game, Mikolas allowed three runs in the second and then settled in before getting saddled with two unearned runs in the seventh on his way to his 10th loss of the season. Despite the hiccups, Mikolas made it through six innings for the sixth time in his last seven outings, five of which have been quality starts. The 34-year-old has quietly put together his best season since 2018 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.02 WHIP to go along with his double-digit win total.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Dominant in 10th win
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Mikolas (10-9) earned the win Friday over the Diamondbacks. He allowed one run on two hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out four across eight innings.
Mikolas got through the Arizona order cleanly the first time, then allowed two baserunners in the fourth. The only run he surrendered was in the eighth on a groundout. Aside from a 10-run disaster in Colorado on Aug. 9, Mikolas has been fairly sharp lately. For the season, he owns a 3.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 118:28 K:BB through 157.1 innings across 25 starts. The right-hander is lined up for a road start versus the Cubs next week.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Strikes out six in win
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Mikolas (9-9) earned the win against the Brewers on Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out six and walking none over eight innings.
The Brewers could not get much going against an efficient Mikolas, who threw 64 of 99 pitches for strikes in Sunday's contest. The righty bounced back well after allowing 10 runs in 2.2 innings to the Rockies in his last appearance. Mikolas picked up his 16th quality start of the year, his sixth in his last eight games. He will take a 3.44 ERA into his next appearance.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Nightmarish start in Colorado
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Mikolas (8-9) took the loss Tuesday versus the Rockies, allowing 10 runs on 14 hits while striking out two in 2.2 innings.
For context, Mikolas had allowed 11 runs in his previous 18.1 innings across three starts, and that was one of his less impressive parts of the year. The 33-year-old right-hander will probably want to forget this one as fast as possible, as his ERA spiked from 2.92 to 3.50 after the horrid start. He's also posted a 1.09 WHIP and 108:27 K:BB through 141.1 innings across 23 starts. Mikolas will look to get back on track in a key divisional matchup versus the Brewers this weekend.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Solid in no-decision
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Mikolas took a no-decision in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Cubs. He allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
Mikolas had an extra day of rest after Wednesday's rainout, though he only produced middling results. The Cardinals' seventh-inning rally got him off the hook for the loss. He's turned in quality starts in five of his last six outings, and the veteran right-hander owns a 2.92 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 106:27 K:BB through 138.2 innings across 22 starts overall. Mikolas is tentatively set for a tough road start in Colorado his next time out.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Wednesday's game postponed
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Mikolas won't start as scheduled Wednesday against the Cubs since the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The game will be made up via a doubleheader Thursday, and Mikolas figures to start one of those contests. The right-hander surrendered six runs in his first outing after the All-Star break, but he bounced back with two runs allowed across seven innings during his last start.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Back in win column
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Mikolas (8-8) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings Friday, striking out four and earning a win over the Nationals.
Both runs against Mikolas on Friday came via sacrifice flys. It was a strong bounceback after he was tagged for six runs by the Reds in his last outing. Mikolas lowered his season ERA to 2.86, including a 3.58 ERA in six July appearances. He'll carry a 100:26 K:BB into his projected home start against the Cubs next week.
