Latest news with #Mikolas
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Miles Mikolas' replacement named Cardinals' top trade deadline need
The St. Louis Cardinals, heading into the final month before the MLB trade deadline, have to resolve their starting rotation issues. Whether it's to compete for this season, or prepare for the future, St. Louis needs ot make some changes soon. According to writer Jason Foster, the Cardinals' biggest need is help for the starting rotation. One of the easiest ways to address the rotation need is by finding a replacement for Miles Mikolas. Advertisement "Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas both had two consecutive starts recently in which they allowed six or more earned runs." Foster wrote. "So, rotation help should be the priority for a team that's still hanging in the NL Wild Card race." Even though there are calls for the Cardinals to sell off a lot of their top assets, the team is in decent shape to contend for a Wild Card spot in the NL. Sitting just 1.5 games back, the Cardinals are by no means out of the postseason hunt. But to compete for such a spot, the Cardinals need to part ways with both Mikolas and Fedde. Of the two, Fedde is the most likely to be moved, as he could be traded at the deadline for prospects or as part of a deal for a new starter. MORE: Cardinals' Oli Marmol breaks silence on Erick Fedde's future in St. Louis Advertisement Mikolas, on the other hand, is a lot more trouble. He has a full no-trade clause, and he's expected to invoke it for any trade he's a part of. To move on from Mikolas, the Cardinals will have to either release him or try and convince him to accept a trade. The easier path is, of course, to just cut ties with him. After his start, where he allowed six home runs and raised his season ERA to 5.26, moving on from him won't be much of an issue. With Michael McGreevy waiting in the wings in Triple-A, the Cardinals can easily get rid of one of those starters without losing sleep. Moving on from the second will be more of a challenge, and the Cardinals will need a starter outside the organization. Fortunately, there are plenty of starters expected to be on the trade block at this year's trade deadline, with former Cardinal Sandy Alcantara one of the top options for St. Louis. Regardless of who they target, the Cardinals need to add a starter and move on from Mikolas at this year's MLB trade deadline. Advertisement MORE MLB NEWS:
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Cardinals aim to spark extended run vs. Cubs
The July 31 trade deadline will be looming large when the visiting St. Louis Cardinals begin a three-game series against the rival Chicago Cubs on Friday. Cardinals aim to spark extended run vs. Cubs Chicago leads the National League Central by four games over the second-place Milwaukee Brewers, while St. Louis is 5 1/2 games out in the division and sits in a three-way tie for the third NL wild-card spot. The Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a 1-0 win on Thursday. Matt Shaw delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to help Chicago prevail for the sixth time in the past eight games. "It's just so much fun," Shaw said in a postgame interview. "We have a great team, and this is awesome." St. Louis had an off day on Thursday after being shut out in three consecutive games while being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Obviously the series is frustrating, but it's just one little blip on the radar of 162 ," St. Louis second baseman Brendan Donovan said. "So, is it frustrating? Absolutely. But they just beat us. They're playing good ball. We were playing good ball and they shut us down, so we're on to Chicago." The Friday series opener features a pair of right-handers as the Cardinals' Miles Mikolas faces Chicago's Colin Rea . Mikolas, 36, allowed six runs in four innings during a no-decision against the Guardians on Saturday. Mikolas, who owns a 6.90 ERA with 43 hits allowed across 30 innings over his past six starts, emphasized the importance of the series with the trade deadline fast approaching. "To know if this series goes well, maybe you're in the situation where you're looking to make that good hard push," he said. "And if things don't go well, you could be one of those teams looking to bring those young guys up. Can definitely go either way. ... Makes each game feel a little more important." Nico Hoerner is 13-for-33 and Ian Happ is 13-for-40 against Mikolas, who is 6-6 with a 3.17 ERA in 23 career games vs. the Cubs. Rea, 35, allowed two runs over five innings in a 12-3 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday. He bounced back after giving up four homers, 11 hits and seven runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners during his previous start. Nolan Arenado is 1-for-10 against Rea, who is 1-3 with a 4.37 ERA in nine career games against St. Louis. Chicago will have two National League starters in the All-Star Game at Atlanta on July 15. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong received the honor in his second full season with Chicago. He is batting .265 with 21 homers, 64 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. "Of course he's exceeded expectations," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "He's having a wonderful season, and we're all happy for him that he got this recognition. It's happened really fast." Crow-Armstrong will be joined at the All-Star Game by right fielder Kyle Tucker, who has been named a starter for the first time in his career. The four-time All-Star is batting .287 with 17 homers, 52 RBIs and 21 stolen bases during his first season with the Cubs. Field Level Media This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Walker homers and Mikolas pitches streaking Cardinals to 1-0 win over Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jordan Walker homered and Miles Mikolas pitched six sharp innings to lead the surging St. Louis Cardinals past the Kansas City Royals 1-0 on Saturday night. Mikolas (3-2) allowed two hits with four strikeouts and two walks for the Cardinals, who have won three straight and 12 of 13. St. Louis is 7-1 on a nine-game trip to three cities, winning all three series.
New York Times
20-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Cardinals are evaluating Miles Mikolas as he works to regain trust
NEW YORK — Miles Mikolas has heard the monikers for years. Throughout his eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Mikolas has been dubbed both a strike-thrower and an innings-eater. He wore the designations as badges of pride. After bouncing out of Major League Baseball in 2014, Mikolas reinvented himself during a three-year stint in Japan and became a durable starting pitcher for St Louis, two All-Star berths included. He's now the longest-tenured Cardinal, but those prior labels no longer apply. Advertisement After back-to-back disappointing seasons, Mikolas remains in the Cardinals' rotation, but his role and approach have changed. He owns a 7.64 ERA over his first four starts, though that number is inflated from a disastrous outing against the Boston Red Sox in early April, where he allowed eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Friday against the New York Mets marked another average start for Mikolas (two earned runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings with two walks and one strikeout), but more notably, it showed where manager Oli Marmol's trust level lies with his veteran right-hander. With the Cardinals leading 2-0, Brett Baty and Tyrone Taylor led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and an RBI triple, turning the lineup over. Francisco Lindor flew out, but Juan Soto tied the score with a single to right. All four balls were hit hard. Marmol had seen enough. Mikolas was at just 70 pitches (and the Cardinals bullpen is down a man due to the team using a six-man rotation), but neither factor mattered. The skipper went to his bullpen, and Mikolas hit the showers. There is an element of confidence he'll need to regain if he wants to pitch deeper into ballgames. Several candid conversations with Marmol over the last couple of weeks have made that clear. 'If there's a diminished sense of trust in some of my abilities, I understand that,' Mikolas said. Citi Field gave Juan Soto a standing ovation during his at-bat, and it worked! 👏 (via @MLB) — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 19, 2025 Mikolas, 36, is in the final year of the two-year, $40 million extension he signed in March of 2023. He posted a 5.35 ERA across 32 starts last year, the second-highest mark in MLB. He also allowed the third-most hits (194), second-most earned runs (102) and second-highest opposing average (.284). His availability should be commended: He has made at least 30 starts in each of his last three seasons. But there is also something to be said about the quality of those appearances, and that has lacked more often than not. Advertisement The Cardinals would certainly like to see Mikolas pitch deeper into games (he has yet to complete six innings in a start this year), but they have been especially cautious about letting him pitch to the heart of the opposing lineup a third time. When he runs into trouble, it often escalates quickly. Marmol and Mikolas have been cognizant of that, which also factored into his early removal Friday. 'It's tough,' Mikolas said. 'It's not the best feeling. Last year, and really the one start (versus Boston) this year, my innings that go the wrong way, they can tend to go the wrong way pretty quick.' 'He's realistic about where he's at and what he needs to do in order to be trusted. Because when it doesn't go well for him, it unravels pretty quickly,' Marmol added. 'It usually happens in one inning, and it's hard for him to stop the bleeding when it's happening. So he knows that if we're going to the 'pen early, it's to avoid that. The only way for him to earn that trust is to show he can stop the bleeding from time to time.' There is a chance that Mikolas is simply not that type of deep starter anymore. But he's determined to give himself and the Cardinals his best shot. He's changed his approach to try to induce more swings-and-misses. Instead of filling up the strike zone, his M.O. for years, he's purposely missing the plate in two-strike counts and trying to limit hard contact. He's sequencing pitches differently, working extensively with pitching coach Dusty Blake to find a method that works. While he's far from satisfied with his performances, he does feel he's on the right track. 'Getting better with some of my sequencing and being able to go after strikeouts is something that's going to help me earn that trust back,' Mikolas said. 'That's a benefit of going outside the zone — not just the swing-and-miss — but quality of contact is much softer, right? It's not your 100 mph groundball to the shortstop. A lot more good things can happen when you're out of the zone at the right time and the quality of contact is a lot less. 'I haven't gone nearly as many innings as I'd like to. But is it a step in the right direction? I think so.' "Most guys are still trying to get off their A, or A-minus type swings, even with two strikes." Miles Mikolas explains why he's throwing fewer strikes in specific counts. — Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) April 16, 2025 Mikolas has committed to his new game plan, but he'll have to show consistency and repeatability for Marmol to feel comfortable using him in later innings. It helps that Marmol and Mikolas communicate in similar fashions. Neither shy from honest assessments and prefer a direct — if not blunt — approach. Advertisement 'He said he's convicted in the approach, staying convicted in that approach is going to be key for him,' Marmol said. 'He knows what he does and what's allowed him to stay in the league. Now it's a matter of using it in a way where he can flip the script on the opposition. 'He's super verbal. He's Miles. You can have that conversation with him and be very blunt as far as what you saw and what needs to be done. You have the back and forth, but him being convicted and buying in is the most important part.' If St. Louis wasn't so wary about its limited pitching depth in the minors, the club might be having a different conversation about Mikolas' role. Michael McGreevy is ready for a call-up from Triple A when needed, and the team's proclaimed youth movement is beckoning for him to appear in the majors at some point this year. But the Cardinals will continue using Mikolas in the rotation for the foreseeable future. It's on him to make the adjustments that will allow him to stay there. 'It's a hit to your ego as much as anything,' Mikolas said. 'Like, hey, you're not the workhorse in the middle of our staff right now. But that's something that I'm always trying to get back to. But whatever my role is in helping us win games, that's the important thing. If I get through five innings and I get taken out for our bullpen in a tight spot, I understand the desire to win those games and get to the bullpen. 'The goal is to be out there seven, eight innings every time. I'm working towards getting some of that confidence back,' he added. 'Right now, I feel like I like my stuff. I like where it is. And I feel like it's getting better every time.'
