Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Sleeper pitchers for Week 10 (May 29-June 4)
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Believe it or not, Miles Mikolas has a 1.98 ERA over his past six starts. It's with a low strikeout rate and a fairly high average exit velocity, but there's a good chance he keeps it going against a highly suspect Royals offense.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Fires seven shutout innings
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Mikolas (3-1) picked up the win Thursday against the Reds after he allowed five hits and no walks across seven scoreless innings. He struck out five.
The right-hander delivered his third straight quality start and has covered seven frames in each of his past two outings. Mikolas had a horrible beginning to the campaign with 16 runs allowed over his first three outings, but he's rebounded in eight starts since with a 2.47 ERA and 33:11 K:BB over 47.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Tosses seven solid frames
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Mikolas allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out two batters over seven innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Mikolas dominated Los Angeles in the first five frames, allowing just three hits and no runs. The Dodgers finally got to him when J.D. Martinez hit a game-tying three-run homer in the sixth, but Mikolas bounced back to retire the final six batters he faced. Though he had to settle for a no-decision, this was the right-hander's longest outing of the campaign and his third quality start. He's given up three or fewer runs in each of his seven starts since April 16, posting a 2.90 ERA over 40.1 innings during that span.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Picks up second win
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Mikolas (2-1) allowed one run on four hits and two walks over six innings against Boston on Sunday. He earned the win but did not record a strikeout.
After allowing a run in the first inning, Mikolas settled in for five scoreless frames. He got plenty of run support and picked up his first win of the month despite failing to record a strikeout. Over his last four starts, the veteran righty has posted a 2.01 ERA with an 18:7 K:BB. Mikolas' next start is lined up to be against the Dodgers.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Fans seven in short outing
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Mikolas allowed one run on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings during Monday's win over the Cubs. He struck out seven and did not factor in the decision.
Mikolas worked around danger multiple times before the Cubs finally broke through in the fifth inning. An RBI double from Dansby Swanson ended his start. Mikolas punched out a season-high seven batters despite forcing only five swinging strikes. The veteran righty lowered his season ERA to 5.40 with a 41:12 K:BB through 41.2 innings. Mikolas' next start is projected to be in Boston this weekend.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Sleeper pitchers for Week 7 (May 8-14)
Rotowire
I'm at a loss here for a 10th sleeper pitcher. Miles Mikolas is in line for two starts this week, and it wasn't so long ago that he had our trust. If you're dead set on maximizing volume and are willing to live with the repercussions, he's another option.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Turns in decent performance
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Mikolas did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing three runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings against the Angels. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Mikolas continues to turn a corner after a rough start to his season. After coughing up 11 runs over his first 11 innings, he's given up just eight over his last 23. The right-hander is far from an elite option, but he can be counted on for solid outings. The 34-year-old is tentatively slated to face the Cubs on the road in his next appearance.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Excels in first victory
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Mikolas (1-1) earned the win over San Francisco on Thursday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six batters over 6.1 scoreless innings.
Mikolas began Thursday with an ugly 7.46 season ERA, but he lowered that considerably with a sterling outing against the Giants. The right-hander tossed a campaign-high 6.1 frames and didn't allow any runs while matching a season-best mark with six punchouts. Mikolas will look to build upon this performance moving forward, with his next start tentatively lined up to come at home against the Angels.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Settles for no-decision
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Mikolas pitched 5.1 innings against Seattle on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters. He did not factor in the decision.
Mikolas gave up a solo homer to Jarred Kelenic in the second inning but settled in from there, at one point retiring 11 of a string of 12 batters. However, he lost a 3-1 lead when Teoscar Hernandez tagged him for a two-run homer in the sixth, which marked the end of Mikolas' outing. The right-hander has yet to get into the win column this season, but he's shown some improvement over his past two starts, giving up five earned runs over 11 frames. Prior to that, Mikolas had surrendered 16 earned runs over his first 14.1 innings of the campaign.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Narrowly misses quality start
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Mikolas did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks over 5.2 innings in a 5-4 extra-inning win over the Pirates. He struck out four.
Mikolas surrendered runs in each of the first two innings before shutting down the Pirates over the next three frames. He found himself in some trouble again in the sixth and was pulled with two outs and runners on first and third, just robbing him of his first quality start of the year. The Pirates tacked on a third run off a fielding error, but Mikolas was able to avoid a loss after the Cardinals came back to win. The seven hits and two earned runs were both season-low marks for the 34-year-old, who has gotten knocked around early on in the campaign. He now sports an 8.10 ERA and a 19:5 K:BB over 20 innings and will look to build off this outing with a tentative start against the Mariners next weekend.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Another rough performance
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Mikolas did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing six runs on 10 hits and two walks over five innings in a 9-6 win over the Rockies. He struck out three.
Mikolas surrendered five runs in each of his first two starts of the season, and he didn't fare any better Tuesday at Coors Field. The right-hander threw 59 of his 89 pitches for strikes and surrendered three home runs, all of which went beyond 420 feet. Mikolas inked a two-year, $40 million extension with the Cardinals late in spring training, but early in 2023 he's been unable to replicate the 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 153:39 K:BB he posted in 202.1 innings last year.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Roughed up by Atlanta
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Mikolas (0-1) took the loss Wednesday as the Cardinals fell 5-2 to Atlanta, coughing up five runs on nine hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six.
Matt Olson did the most damage against the right-hander, racking up two doubles and a homer by himself in the first four innings. Mikolas did throw 71 of 98 pitches for strikes, but his command within the zone isn't where he wants it -- through two starts, St. Louis' Opening Day starter carries a 9.64 ERA despite a 12:1 K:BB in 9.1 innings thanks to 19 hits. Mikolas' troubles may not be over, and while he lines up for a two-step next week, the first outing is set to be a road start at Coors Field.
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Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Knocked around in opener
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Mikolas did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and zero walks over 3.1 innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out six.
Credit to Mikolas for filling up the strike zone as he normally does, but he was entirely too hittable within the zone on this particular day. Mikolas did not allow a single earned run in the Grapefruit League this year, throwing 12 scoreless innings, but the Blue Jays' high-powered offense brought him back to Earth in a hurry. It won't get much easier for Mikolas next week when St. Louis hosts Atlanta.
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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.
