51ºÚÁÏ

Every time he mashed the button on the PitchCom device it would squawk a pitch he did intend to call. At some point between changing his jersey or sitting on the bench, he had reset the device to another pitcher’s setting, and as he tried to signal for the first pitch of the game, it kept announcing something different.

“It’s like sinker, sinker, sinker, sinker,� Mikolas said. “And I’m like what the (heck)? And the clock is counting down. And I’ve got to throw it.�

Mikolas wanted to throw a four-seam fastball.

He ended up yielding to the ornery PitchCom and throwing a sinker.

A leadoff single followed, and for the rest of the first inning, Mikolas did not call a pitch, leaving that to Pages. It wasn’t until the second inning that he got the PitchCom device put on his settings. And then, it was like curveball, curveball, curveball, curveball.

The Cardinals’ veteran starter spun the Milwaukee Brewers through five innings Sunday in what became a 3-2 victory at the end of an otherwise winless road trip. Mikolas (8-10) allowed a leadoff double in the second inning and then called the pitches to strikeout the side. He got two of the batters swinging at curveballs, and he struck out the third on a fastball when the batter was expecting a curveball. For the fourth consecutive start, Mikolas pitched at least five innings and allowed fewer than two runs. Both of the runs on Sunday against Mikolas came on solo homers. He’s shaved his ERA down from 5.17 to 4.80 in five starts. And, his past two have come against teams likely bound for the playoffs.

“Being competitive against good teams,� Mikolas said of what he’s been able to show. “Proving to myself that you can get outs and give your team a shot against good baseball clubs is very encouraging to me and hopefully encouraging to anyone who is watching.�

Mikolas, 37, is entering the final weeks of three-year, $55.75-million extension he signed with the Cardinals. He’s one of the longest-tenured Cardinals having spent the past eight seasons in the rotation. A two-time All-Star, he’s one start away from four consecutive years of 30 starts, but he also has an ERA of 4.51 in that span. The win Sunday balanced his record as a Cardinal to 68-68.

The right-hander effectively spans eras for the Cardinals – from perennial contention and a preference for pitch-to-contact pitchers to a retooling team and its quest for more strikeouts.

Mikolas wants to continue pitching in an industry that increasingly prefers whiffs, but his recent outings show how his game can thrive. Against an eager Athletics lineup, Mikolas challenged them with pitches in the zone and relied on his defense to get through six innings without a strike out. Against the power-packed Mariners, he shifted approach and was able to avoid giving up damage hits by not taking the same approach that he had vs. Athletics.

Facing a Brewers’ lineup Sunday that hunts early fastballs and then does what it can to avoid strikeouts, Mikolas fed them curveballs.

“There have been a couple of times where just knowing going into a series what they do well, his ability to game-plan with Dusty (Blake) and understand how to change it up before he needs to is important,� manager Oli Marmol said.

“A lot of these lineups are doing it a little different,� Mikolas said. “Milwaukee a lot of times is death by a thousand cuts. I don’t know if I’ve seen so many infield hits against a team in three days. You’ve got guys like the Mariners and – what? – they are second or third in the league in home runs. So, they’re doing it a little different. Being able to adjust to the different lineups and respond to that is important.�

Which is why he wanted to start the game Sunday with that four-seam fastball.

It would be a different look for the Brewers.

Once he got the tech reset for his preferences, Mikolas was able to lean into them. He threw more four-seam fastballs than any other pitch, and he paired that with 21 curveballs. The Brewers did not put one of them in play. They fouled off five. They took six for strikes. They swung and missed at three – all of those coming as the final pitch of a strikeout.

“They’re a team that is on the fastball early and then they’re trying to put the ball in play late,� Mikolas said. “They don’t try to strike out a lot. One of my better weak-contact pitches is my curveball. It’s one of those pitches and it’s the slowest one. So if you’re really waiting back, trying to go the other way, sometimes that’s just too slow.�

His next start, his penultimate start of the season, is scheduled to be against the Brewers.

Watch for adjustments.

For years, Mikolas, a native of Jupiter, Florida, has talked openly about wanting to remain a Cardinal, and his most recent contract had the no-trade clause that gave him that power. He would welcome an offer from the team and its new front office leadership to return for 2026. He made his pitch Sunday with a nod toward his next start, which could be his final start as a Cardinal at Busch Stadium, and how to view his recent performances.

“That’s up for teams and the front office to decide,� Mikolas said. “I know my numbers are pretty good this year (at home). If they need someone to just pitch at Busch Stadium – one of those Roger Clemens deals. I’ll just pitch at home. All joking aside, yeah, I love baseball. It’s a big part of my life. I’m trying to finish strong to try and increase my chance of landing somewhere next year. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.�

Contreras, Donovan get a break

The Cardinals successfully avoided using both Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan in Sunday’s win. The Cardinals baked-in a day off for Donovan shortly after he returned from the 10-day injured list, and the team had some concerns about a variety of aches for their veteran first baseman, Contreras. He was drilled in the back by a 101-mph fastball Saturday, and that added to other muscle aches and soreness that Contreras had been playing through.

Marmol said he wanted to avoid using Contreras completely Sunday so that he’d be available for the majority – if not all – of the final home stand.

Donovan was expected to return to second base Monday.

Wash U alum a bear for Cardinals

Milwaukee rookie Caleb Durbin doubled and homered in his first two at-bats against Mikolas to continue what’s been a pesky year for him against the club from the city where he went to college.

Durbin is the first position player from Washington University in 51ºÚÁÏ to reach the majors in more than a generation, and in his first big-league season he’s been a significant part of the Brewers’ bid for another National League Central title. Not that he was expected to be. Durbin prepared for 2025 believing he would be competing for a role in the Yankees’ infield. An offseason trade that sent 51ºÚÁÏ native Devin Williams to the Bronx brought Durbin to Milwaukee, and he has emerged as a strong defender and offensive sparkplug.

The Cardinals have seen the best of him.

Durbin’s double and solo homer Sunday upped his success against the Cardinals to 12-for-28 (.429). In his first 34 plate appearances against the Cardinals, Durbin reached base more times (18) than the Cardinals got him out (16).

The Cardinals balanced the scales by striking him out in the sixth with the tying run in scoring position and Durbin flew out in the eight to put his on-base percentage this summer against the Cardinals at .500 in 10 games. He’ll bring that to 51ºÚÁÏ this weekend for the Brewers’ visit and final regular-season series of the season.