WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Officially, the Cardinals still are working through their opening-day starter options.
Here at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Saturday, though, it looked like the best one was on the mound, considering current circumstances.
That would be Miles Mikolas, who spent six sun-scorched innings limiting the Nationals to two runs while mixing his pitches and finding ways out of the danger that found him. Mikolas has a 2.25 Grapefruit League ERA after four starts (16 innings) with 12 strikeouts and one walk. That’ll play. Especially if the Cardinals get back to playing respectable defense.
Multiple swings against Mikolas on Saturday turned into sawed-off bats. He recovered from two runs surrendered in the second inning by fielding his way out of a surprise bunt dropped against him, then didn’t allow any more runs. He pulled a double play out of former Cardinals teammate Juan Yepez immediately after allowing his first walk of the spring, and then got another double play to end the inning after allowing back-to-back singles in the fifth. He came back out for the sixth, which he ended with Nationals on first and second by earning his seventh groundout of the game.
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Pure dominance? No. This was pitching. Battling. Winning.
“My pitches are the same, more or less, if you’re looking at them from like a scientific standpoint,†Mikolas said when comparing this camp to the frustrating 2023 season he’s flushed. The two-time All-Star became the first Cardinal since Chris Carpenter in 2010 to make 35 starts in a season. But his ERA ballooned to 4.78 as he allowed an MLB-high 226 hits. Woof.
So, what’s changed?
“My approach, my (pitch) mix, I’m not going to give everything away,†Mikolas said. “I had a bad year last year, and I have to pitch different. If I go out there and do the same exact thing I can’t expect to have better results. Things have to be a little different. That’s the name of the game. That’s being in the league and guys seeing you a few times. You have to do something else. You have to adjust.â€
One thing that’s been clear: Mikolas in two-strike counts is locating his pitches in chase locations instead of leaving too much over the heart of the plate.
“It’s a fine line of not walking anybody, but still pitching and getting outs in and out of the zone, and I think he’s finding a really good blend of both at the moment,†manager Oli Marmol observed.
Maybe those who wrote off the big righthander last season would take a step toward coming back around if the durable Mikolas can scrap and claw with the mighty Dodgers in Game One of 162. Every team will be undermanned against the biggest favorites in baseball since, well, ever? But the Cardinals, especially, could be in an even bigger underdog role due to not just the Dodgers’ elaborate spending over the offseason, but the Cardinals’ own setbacks in spring training.
Top offseason addition Sonny Gray, the team’s top starting pitcher, is navigating his way back from a hamstring issue. An important update comes Sunday, after his next side session. (Unfortunately, the Cardinals seem to have little to no interest in bringing back Jordan Montgomery, who still is available on the free-agent market.)
Key bullpen addition Keynan Middleton will start the season on the injured list because of a forearm strain, it became known Saturday.
Planned starting center fielder Tommy Edman (wrist) will be on the injured list as well to begin the season and injured starting outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) could be joining him. We’ll know more after a Sunday revaluation of Nootbaar.
Gray should be the best starter on this team when he’s fully ready. No one’s debating that. But I don’t think the Cardinals realistically can expect him to take the ball in Game One, considering his current trajectory, and maybe not against the Dodgers at all.
The season’s second series, against the Padres and old friend Mike Shildt, would buy him some more time. So would just waiting for the home opener, though you don’t want to not pitch him against the Padres if he’s ready just because you’re waiting on the home opener. Lance Lynn could pitch the home opener just fine.
But Game One in Los Angeles against the star-studded, World Series or bust Dodgers?
I’d go with Mikolas, someone who has been called upon on opening day twice before, in part because he absolutely would relish the role of playing the villain in a Hollywood script, and the Cardinals are going to need as much grit as they can gather.
“We’re not exactly a low-payroll team, but you’ve got the Dodgers playing checkbook baseball,†Mikolas said. “And we are going to go out there and be the hardest working group of Midwestern farmers that we can be out there. If there’s a series you want to win early, any time of the year, it’s great to go out there and stick it to the Dodgers. If you can take a couple of those games, you’re leaving on the high note.â€