An early season tweak to his pitch usage has paid huge dividends for Cardinals starter聽Miles Mikolas.
Mikolas starts Saturday as the Cardinals face the Guardians at 3:10 p.m. in the second of three in Cleveland.
蜜芽传媒 took Friday's opener behind Sonny Gray's complete game shutout.
Coming off a season in which he was one of the worst qualified starters in baseball by ERA, Mikolas seemed to be on a fast track to falling out of the rotation early on this year.
His second start of 2025 was one of the worst of his career: eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. After that, Mikolas and pitching coach Dusty Blake聽reengineered how, when and where he used his pitches.
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Since then, the聽right-hander Mikolas (4-5, 4.31 ERA)聽has the best ERA among Cardinals starters (3.50) and the best batting average against (.248) while allowing the lowest hard-hit rate (30%).
He is throwing significantly more pitches in chase locations, or just outside the strike zone, and his new pitch mix has resulted in significantly fewer swings when he keeps it within the strike zone and more called strikes.
His pitch mix includes far fewer sinkers and more curveballs and changeups, and his changeup, a liability last year, rates as one of Mikolas' better offerings in 2025.
Mikolas has lost his last three starts, two of which he allowed two or fewer earned runs. His last win came May 23.
The Guardians will counter with聽right-hander Slade Cecconi (3-3, 3.38 ERA), a former first-round pick in his second full big-league season.聽Cecconi missed the start of the season with an oblique strain, making his debut in mid-May. After some troubles in his first three starts, Cecconi has a 2.05 ERA in his last four, two of them coming against top-10 scoring offenses.
Jose Ram铆rez, Cleveland's leading hitter, is back in the lineup after he didn't start Friday. He was hit by a pitch on Thursday vs. Toronto and left that game.
The Cardinals are 45-38, third in the National League Central and 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs.
Cleveland is 40-40, second in the American League Central.
How to watch Cardinals at Guardians
When:聽3:10 p.m. Saturday
Where:聽Progressive Field in Cleveland
TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (); KMOX (1120 AM and 104.1 FM), other stations in the as well as .
Your options to watch: Input your ZIP code and see your choices for watching Cardinals games.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Brendan Donovan, 2B
2. Masyn Winn, SS
3. Alec Burleson, RF
4. Willson Contreras, 1B
5. Lars Nootbaar, LF
6. Nolan Arenado, DH
7. Nolan Gorman, 3B
8. Yohel Pozo, C
9. Victor Scott II, CF
P: Miles Mikolas, RHP
GUARDIANS
1. Steven Kwan, LF
2. Kyle Manzardo, DH
3. Jos茅 Ram铆rez, 3B
4. Carlos Santana, 1B
5. Lane Thomas, CF
6. Daniel Schneemann, 2B
7. Nolan Jones, RF
8. Gabriel Arias, SS
9. Austin Hedges, C
P: Slade Cecconi, RHP
Injury report
Jordan Walker, OF (appendicitis):聽Walker is scheduled to begin rehab assignment on Saturday with Class AAA Memphis. Walker was sent to the hospital Tuesday night, where he received nonsurgical treatment for聽appendicitis to avoid a more severe issue after he felt discomfort. He spent the night and returned home in the morning. The Cardinals wanted to see how Walker's body would respond to increased activity before sending him on a rehab assignment. He would likely return to a regular workload once he begins his rehab stint. His IL stint is backdated to Monday . Updated June 28
Ivan Herrera, C/DH (left hamstring strain): Hererra has started doing some workouts on the field and in the weight room to ease into his recovery from a slightly torn hamstring string. He has not been inactive since the event. He felt a "pull" in his hamstring while running the bases聽June 19 during a game vs. the White Sox.聽He is expected to miss anywhere from two-to-six weeks with a Grade 2 strain in his left hamstring and went on the injured list on June 20.聽Updated June 26
Zack Thompson, LHP (shoulder, lat strain):聽Lefty starter has begun a throwing program designed to strengthen his arm after a long stretch without much activity. The shoulder has responded well and Thompson has felt progress with this program, which had to be restarted because his recovery stalled in May. There is no timetable for his return to the mound.聽Updated June 19
