ST. LOUIS -- Never one to give programmed, cliché-filled answers, Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas didn’t blink Thursday when asked if he had already started thinking about playoff possibilities and where he might slot in on the postseason rotation.

“Absolutely,” Mikolas said, referring to his thoughts drifting toward possible playoff matchups in three weeks. “We’ve got a big road trip coming up out west against some teams we’re probably going to see in the playoffs, so it’s easy to get hyped up and get in that mindset. I’d like to go into the playoffs very sharp and have all my pitches there, so now is the time to really kick it into gear.”

Wobbly in recent weeks as he battled command that was key to him becoming an All-Star this season for a second time, Mikolas pitched against Cincinnati as if he was gearing up for bigger games ahead. He limited the Reds to three runs on five hits and three walks over six innings, while striking out three. However, as was the case so often this season, Mikolas was victimized by a lack of run support, and he was saddled with the loss in a 3-2 defeat by the Reds.

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Despite the disappointing result for a Cardinals club that has dreams of catching the Mets or Braves for the coveted No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs, manager Oliver Marmol thought Mikolas more closely resembled the workhorse pitcher the team rode early in the season.

“He actually did a good job and threw the ball well,” Marmol said. “Last outing, his slider was a non-factor, and today, it was a good pitch for him. The difference in him going a little longer in that game was seven three-ball counts. The pitch count got up there fairly quickly, but overall, he was fairly effective with everything he had.”

After being held to just one hit over the game’s first eight innings, the Cardinals seemed poised to get Mikolas off the hook in the ninth when they loaded the bases for veteran slugger Albert Pujols. Instead of adding another chapter to his storybook season with his 698th home run, Pujols drove a ball to right field for the 123rd sacrifice fly of his career. That tied him with Robin Yount for third most in NL/AL history for his expected Hall of Fame career. St. Louis’ rally was short-lived, as Corey Dickerson grounded out with the tying and winning runs in scoring position.

The Cardinals’ torrid play of late has come at a time when 34-year-old Mikolas had started to show signs of wear and tear. He lasted just five innings in his previous start in Pittsburgh while allowing four earned runs.  And he came into Thursday having surrendered 13 runs (11 earned) and five homers in his previous four outings.

Dating back to March in Spring Training, Mikolas said it was a major goal of his to pitch 200 innings this season. Doing that, he figured, would mean he was all the way back from the forearm injury that cost him the 2020 season and most of '21. Following Thursday’s game against the Reds, Mikolas sits at 187 1/3 innings, and he hasn’t missed a start all season while taking the ball 30 times for the Cardinals. Finally, he’s closer to the 2018 All-Star who went 18-4 with a dazzling 2.83 ERA over 200 2/3 innings.

“[Getting 200 innings] would mean I didn’t goof things up too bad here in these last couple of starts, and that would be good for me,” Mikolas said. “I’d like to finish with as many innings as I can, and hopefully it’s more than 200. That’s a good number to get to these days, it seems. But the most important thing, of course, is winning ballgames and getting ourselves ready for the playoffs.”

As for the postseason, Mikolas admitted he’s dialed back his work between starts a bit to keep his body as fresh as possible for a postseason run that could potentially extend into November. Often a relentless worker in the weight room, Mikolas is doing everything in his power to save his strength for the stretch run and the playoffs.

“Fastball is still kind of where it’s been all year, and I’ve been trying to take it easy on days when I can take it easy to conserve my energy,” Mikolas said. “Then, I can give it everything I can every five or six days. … I feel great. I’m in the best shape of my life.”