As Cardinals veteran Miles Mikolas readies for one of his final few Busch Stadium starts, one type of pitch is critical to his success.
Mikolas starts Thursday at 1:15 p.m. as the Cardinals tried to salvage a split of a four-game set vs. the last-place Pirates at Busch Stadium.
The Pirates won 2-1 on Wednesday and have taken two of the first three.
The right-hander Mikolas (6-10, 5.17 ERA) failed to complete the third inning in his last start, giving up five runs, four of them earned, on 10 hits. Batters hit .588 against him, the worst number he has permitted this year.
On breaking pitches, it was even worse. The Rays hit .750 against those.
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Mikolas' breaking ball success strongly correlates with his overall fortunes. This month, his whiff rate and put-away rate with that type of pitch are both down.
The troubles with those pitches also forced Mikolas to deploy them less, throwing them in the last two games at two of his four lowest rates of the season.
The 37-year-old, a free agent after this season, has at most three home starts remaining. With 96 career Busch Stadium starts, he will end up just short of the milestone mark of 100.Â
He is 28-33 with a 3.74 ERA in his Cardinals career at Busch Stadium.
That last start continued the steady decline in his fastball velocity over his last six starts. After sitting around 92 miles per hour for most of the first few months of 2025, Mikolas turned back the clock, averaging 95 for two late-July games.
Though at 93.1 mph in his last start, that's still faster than he has thrown it most of the season.
The Pirates will send out rookie right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.70 ERA), who will make his fifth career start and seventh appearance. He has not faced St. Louis.
The former second-round pick leads with his slider, complementing it with a middling fastball and a strong curve. He mixes in a few sinkers and an occasional changeup.
The Cardinals are 65-69 and 7 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot. Pittsburgh is 59-75 and has clinched the season series between the two with only Thursday's finale remaining.
How to watch Cardinals vs. Pirates
When:Â 1:15 p.m. Thursday
Where:Â Busch Stadium in St. Louis
TV/radio: FanDuel ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ 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. Lars Nootbaar, CF
2. Iván Herrera, DH
3. Alec Burleson, LF
4. Willson Contreras, 1B
5. Nolan Gorman, 3B
6. Masyn Winn, SS
7. Thomas Saggese, 2B
8. Jordan Walker, RF
9. Yohel Pozo, C
P:Â Miles Mikolas, RHP
PIRATES
1. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
2. Tommy Pham, LF
3. Bryan Reynolds, DH
4. Nick Gonzales, 2B
5. Oneil Cruz, CF
6. Joey Bart, C
7. Jack Suwinski, RF
8. Liover Peguero, SS
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 3B
P:Â Braxton Ashcraft, RHP
Injury report
John King, LHP (mid-back strain): King’s back injury is believed to be related to the left oblique strain that landed him on the IL near the end of July and kept him sidelined through the first three weeks of August. King tried throwing before Tuesday’s game and felt discomfort and underwent imaging. A timeline for his recovery could become clearer later this week, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said, but King said he believes the injury wouldn’t sideline him through the rest of the season. Updated Aug. 28
Nolan Arenado, 3B (right shoulder strain): Arenado is set to return to St. Louis “over the next week†and be reevaluated by team doctors to determine the next steps in his recovery from a right shoulder strain. Since landing on the injured list Aug. 1, Arenado has done his rehab at the Cardinals’ complex in Jupiter, Florida. He’s progressed to taking swings, throwing and going through baseball activities on back-to-back days. How Arenado progresses in the next week could determine his timeline. Updated Aug. 28
Brendan Donovan, 2B (sprained toe/left groin): An injury sustained before the All-Star break persists and is likely contributing to soreness in his leg and groin, the infielder said recently. The Cardinals placed him on the 10-day injured list Aug. 18 retroactive to Aug. 15. He’s begun hitting off a tee, taken swings through soft toss, and reportedly felt progress in his groin. As of Wednesday, Donovan was continuing to make progress toward a point where he’s free of pain. There is no timetable for his injury recovery. Updated Aug. 27
Victor Scott II, CF (sprained left ankle): Scott, who sprained his ankle Aug. 16 while trying to rob a home run from Aaron Judge, left St. Louis to join Class AA Springfield (Missouri) on Thursday, where he is set to go through pregame activities before potentially playing in a rehab game Friday. Updated Aug. 28
Masyn Winn, SS (knee): A late scratch Sunday ahead of the series finale after feeling discomfort in his right knee, Winn returned to the lineup Monday and described himself as “day-to-day†while he deals with the injury. Winn has been playing through the soreness for most of the season, and he has a daily regimen that involves treatment and training for the knee. He underwent an MRI of the knee on Monday that showed improvements, Marmol said. Winn received an anti-inflammatory shot during the All-Star break to alleviate some of the pain. He said Monday the injury will require him to play through pain. Updated Aug. 25
Zack Thompson, LHP (shoulder, lat strain): Lefty starter remains on a throwing program in Jupiter, trying to overcome some setbacks as he increased the intensity of his throws through the course of the season. He's visited St. Louis for evaluation to monitor if the injury worsens. Thompson has been sidelined since the start of March and was transferred to the 60-day injured list in early April. There is no timetable for his return to the mound. Updated Aug. 6
