Miles Mikolas has built his career on aggressively attacking the strike zone. However, as the 36-year-old enters the later stages of his career, adopting a more cautious approach could help him regain some of his lost effectiveness.
Mikolas will take the mound Monday as the Cardinals (3-0) host the Angels at 6:45 p.m. to begin their second series of the season.
During spring training, he discussed the importance of throwing more pitches outside the zone.
“It’s a deliberate shift in approach, and I have to resist slipping back into old habits of trying to be sneaky and catch hitters off guard,” Mikolas said in February. “They’re swinging—so it’s not like I can be deceptive about it.”
Last season, opponents hit .301 against Mikolas’ slider, the worst mark of his career and a significant jump from .239 two years prior. This coincided with him throwing the pitch in the strike zone more often (55.4%) than ever before.
Mikolas is in the final year of a three-year extension, with his performance declining below league average in each of the first two seasons of the deal. According to Fangraphs’ Wins Above Replacement (WAR), he ranked in the bottom quarter of qualified MLB starters last year.
In 2023, he allowed 102 earned runs and had a .284 batting average against—both the second-worst marks among all MLB pitchers.
The Angels will counter with 35-year-old left-hander Tyler Anderson, who went 10-15 with a 3.81 ERA last season. Nicknamed “Mr. Duck” for his ties to the University of Oregon, Anderson began his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies.
The Cardinals enter the series riding high after sweeping the Twins and are one of four remaining unbeaten teams. Meanwhile, the Angels won two of three against the White Sox in Chicago, scoring just five total runs in the series.
Lineups
Cardinals
- Lars Nootbaar, LF
- Willson Contreras, 1B
- Luken Baker, DH
- Nolan Arenado, 3B
- Iván Herrera, C
- Brendan Donovan, 2B
- Jordan Walker, RF
- Victor Scott II, CF
- Masyn Winn, SS
P: Miles Mikolas, RHP
Angels
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Nolan Schanuel, 1B
- Mike Trout, RF
- Jorge Soler, DH
- Yoán Moncada, 3B
- Logan O’Hoppe, C
- Luis Rengifo, 2B
- Kyren Paris, CF
- Kevin Newman, SS
P: Tyler Anderson, LHP
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