Miles Mikolas’ start against Chicago on June 3 was projected to be his best, and he had to work hard in the game. It took him 107 pitches to get 15 outs in five innings that day at Wrigley Field. Check out the top sports betting sites for betting on Baseball.
The start went a little smoother for Mikolas at Busch Stadium Saturday, but he didn’t add to his personal win-loss record. He ended up with a no-decision, but a 5-3 victory for the Cardinals after an eight-inning back-and-forth.
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Mikolas struck out nine Cubs in six strong innings and surrendered one run on four hits and one walk, evening the two teams’ series for the month and keeping St. Louis in a tie with Milwaukee for the NL Central lead.
“[Went] back and checked out that video, see what I did wrong and what I can sharpen up,” said Mikolas regarding his approach between the two starts. “Look for some holes in their swings and their approach and stick to my guns as much as I can. Little up, down, in, out. Pitching 101.”
With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Juan Yepez doubled off Chicago reliever Mark Leiter Jr. The Cardinals’ fourth-ranked prospect Iván Herrera, who was hit by a pitch, hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to deep left field for his first career RBI.
A single by Tommy Edman provided insurance. In 1 2/3 innings of work from the bullpen, Ryan Helsley recorded his third win of the season.
It isn’t always smooth for Mikolas
In the bottom of the sixth, St. Louis missed a golden opportunity and suffered some temporary heartbreak in the top of the eighth. Despite an otherwise stellar month for Mikolas, his early June start was his only blip. He has posted 29 innings of strikeouts and five earned runs in four starts since.
“Mixed all [his] pitches, not that he doesn’t do that every time,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Mikolas’ performance. “I feel like the curveball was a big player for him, and then the guys you can beat up top, he exposed it.”
The same period in which Mikolas lost two games where he received one run of support resulted in two losses. In his first start of the season, Adrian Sampson allowed only three runs, with Mikolas still in the game.
Rob Friedman
2022-11-30 12:43
Adrian Sampson, Dirty 85mph Slider. 😨 https://t.co/IvH3gfb5MY
2057
For both Mikolas’ starts, Christopher Morel, Rafael Ortega, Ian Happ, and Patrick Wisdom were in the lineup, with Willson Contreras replacing Frank Schwindel, who was injured. As a group, they combined for six hits against the righty at Wrigley, but only one hit against Mikolas on Saturday, as they struck out seven of the righty’s nine batters.
St. Louis’ reliable bullpen pitcher was damaged once Mikolas was removed from the game. Against Giovanny Gallegos, Christopher Morel singled before Ortega delivered a three-run 371-foot blast into right field with one out in the eighth.
At one point in the game’s first four innings, Mikolas retired 10 Cubs in order while allowing only one Contreras’ double. On successive flyouts by Yan Gomes and Alfonso Rivas, Wisdom scored after Nico Hoerner delivered his first of two hits.
“He’s been a horse for us,” Marmol said. “Threw some really good gems, and today was another one.”
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