Mikolas returns to form in final start of first half

CHICAGO -- Miles Mikolas hasn’t pitched like his 2022 All-Star self this season. Entering his 19th start of the year, the right-hander was looking to get back on track and end the first half on a strong note.

Mikolas did just that.

He tossed seven scoreless innings in the Cardinals’ 3-0 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday afternoon. It’s the third time Mikolas has pitched seven-plus scoreless innings this season and the first since May 30 against the Royals.

“When he’s good, he’s able to throw [his breaking stuff] in any count,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “He was able to do that today. He just attacked the zone against these guys. He did a really nice job and got a lot of early contact. Phenomenal day.”

Mikolas came into this game needing a get-right outing before the All-Star break. Over his last five starts, the right-hander allowed 34 hits and 22 earned runs across 31 innings pitched (6.39 ERA). He threw just one quality start during that stretch.

But Mikolas showed flashes of his 2022 All-Star season on Saturday. He gave up just four hits with six strikeouts across seven dominant innings and controlled the strike zone from the start.

“I just love the competitive spirit, and Miles is one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met probably,” said Jordan Walker, who also homered in the ninth. “So when he went in there and he did his thing, it just hyped all of us up.”

The right-hander retired the first seven hitters of the game and 10 of the first 11 batters before Chicago landed its first runner in scoring position in the fourth inning.

With runners on first and second and one out, White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn launched a ball to deep left field -- a 95 mph line drive that appeared to be headed for a no-doubt double.

In came Lars Nootbaar though, who made a nice lunging grab to help keep Mikolas’ scoreless outing.

“That’s a big play right there,” Mikolas said. “He hit it, and I saw Noot with a bead on it and kind of slowing down as he got towards the wall. That’s a big catch right there to keep all those runs off the board.”

Looking for his first win since May, Mikolas wasn’t worried about the bullpen blowing another game following his exit. He was confident in Giovanny Gallegos and Jordan Hicks to close things out.

“Those are two guys that I trust with any situation out there,” Mikolas said. “They’ve been solid for a long time, and I was glad to see them get out there and have some clean innings.”

Mikolas threw an impressive 71 strikes on 95 pitches by utilizing his four-seam, sinker, slider, and curveball combo to induce 12 swings and misses. Those 12 swings-and-misses were the most by him since May 30.

And the right-hander is hoping a performance like this will carry into the second half of the season.

“It’s super nice to have a good outing, especially when you’re going to have to sit on it for an extra couple of days with the All-Star break,” Mikolas said. “So, it makes me feel good that I can go into the break feeling good and, hopefully, come back and pick up where I left off.”

Mikolas’s outing on Saturday is also another great sign for a Cardinals’ rotation that has been much better as of late. Jack Flaherty has delivered back-to-back scoreless outings, including 6 2/3 strong innings on Thursday, and Jordan Montgomery owns a 1.92 ERA over his last six starts.

“We feed off each other as a group of starters,” Mikolas said. “We always want to kind of outdo each other. So to see Flaherty have a really good game in Miami and see Monty rolling last night before he had to come out of the game fires me up. There's a lot of competition there, and that definitely helps as a trickle-down effect.”

Assuming there’s no extended absence for Montgomery -- who awaits test results from his hamstring injury -- St. Louis will go into the break with three of its top starters pitching well. They will certainly need that to continue if the Cardinals have any chance of getting back into the playoff race.

“That’s what we need,” Marmol said. “That’s what we’ve been counting on, and they’re starting to show well, which is a positive for us.”