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The Cardinals took the opener, 6-5 on Thursday night at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

On Saturday, right-hander Miles Mikolas (5-6, 4.59) will take the mound for the Cardinals.

Mikolas' season can be divided into two portions. In his first eight starts, batters hit .316 against him as he struggled with a 6.43 ERA.

In his last seven starts, Mikolas has a 2.76 ERA, limiting batters to a .182 average.

Mikolas put up a 46% hard-hit rate in his first eight starts, but he's trimmed that to 34% in his last seven.

The Giants will counter with right-hander and former Cardinal Jordan Hicks (4-3, 2.82).

Hicks was dealt to the Blue Jays at last year's trade deadline then chose the Giants in free agency, signing a four-year, $44 million deal.

Hicks started eight games with the Cardinals in 2022 but was mostly used in relief here.

This year, he sports the 12th best ERA among qualified starters. He's dialed back on his fastball to about 96 mph. That pitch averaged 100 mph or more with St. Louis.

The Cardinals are 37-37, second in the NL Central. They hold a wild-card spot if the season ended today.

Behind the four NL teams with well-above-.500 records, the Cardinals are part of a group of nine teams within a couple games of a wild-card spot.

The Giants, at 36-40, are part of that group. They've lost two straight series entering this one, to the Cubs and Angels.

Saturday morning, the Cardinals placed catcher Ivan Herrera on the 10-day injured list with lower back tightness. Catcher Nick Raposo was brought up from Memphis.

Herrera's IL stint is retroactive to Wednesday.

On Friday, the Cardinals activated reliever Giovanny Gallegos. He was put on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement May 6 after limping to a 12.00 ERA in the first month-plus of the season.

Gallegos had an 11.37 ERA in six rehab appearances at Springfield and Memphis.

Pitcher Adam Kloffenstein and outfielder Victor Scott II, who served as the 27th man in Alabama, were sent to Memphis.

Saturday's game is the first of nine straight at home for the Cardinals. They host the Braves for three then the Reds for four games.

Lineups

CARDINALS

1. Masyn Winn, SS

2. Alec Burleson, RF

3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

4. Nolan Gorman, 2B

5. Nolan Arenado, 3B

6. Brendan Donovan, LF

7. Matt Carpenter, DH

8. Pedro Pages, C

9. Michael Siani, CF

P: Miles Mikolas, RHP

GIANTS

1. Brett Wisely, SS

2. Heliot Ramos, CF

3. Patrick Bailey, C

4. Jorge Soler, DH

5. Matt Chapman, 3B

6. Michael Conforto, LF

7. Thairo Estrada, 2B

8. David Villar, 1B

9. Luis Matos, RF

P: Jordan Hicks, RHP

Injury report

Willson Contreras (fractured arm):ÌýThe catcher will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis. After catching seven innings on Friday, he is scheduled to repeat the process on Saturday to see how he will react to catching on back-to-back days. Contreras, who is 2 for 12 with two singles and one RBI in his rehab stint, is then scheduled DH on Sunday. It's not yet know how long his assignment will extend, but the team is paying close attention to how he comes out of the weekend.ÌýUpdated June 22

Steven Matz (lower back stiffness):ÌýMatz suffered a setback in his rehab process and will not throw for two weeks. From there, Matz will need another full progression to work his way back to the mound. The lefty started Sunday for Class AA Springfield and threw three perfect innings, with five strikeouts on June 16. However, he experienced lingering soreness the morning following that outing, leading to a lengthy setback. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said the best-case scenario is a four-to-six week recovery time for Matz.ÌýUpdated June 22

Ivan Herrera (lower back tightness): Herrera was placed on the 10-day IL ahead of Saturday's game against the Giants. Marmol said before the game that Herrera's back remained locked up, with not enough progress to serve as a back-up catcher.ÌýUpdated June 22

Tommy Edman (wrist surgery):ÌýEdman rejoined the team to continue his rehab in St. Louis after spending the past week atÌýthe club's spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida, this week. His workouts remain similar to a spring training buildup at this point. "I'll get a clearer picture of what's next for him (while he's in St. Louis). I don't have that just yet," Marmol said. Updated June 22Ìý

Riley O'Brien (flexor tendon):ÌýThe right-hander was slated to pitch for Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, June 18, however he had trouble bouncing back from his last outing. O'Brien was sent an MRI, which came back clean. The team is awaiting additional feedback before pushing through with the rehab process.ÌýUpdated June 22

Lars Nootbaar (oblique strain):ÌýOutfielder has started taking soft toss and swings off a tee. He has responded well to increased movements of his core muscles and tests of the area injured. President John Mozeliak on Tuesday targeted a late-June or early-July return. Nootbaar said ahead of Saturday's game that swinging and running are the main focus, but that he is "progressing well."ÌýÌýUpdated June 22

Nick Robertson (elbow inflammation):ÌýRobertson will throw a live batting practice session on Sunday. It comes after he traveled to Springfield, Missouri, to throw a live batting practice session on Friday. He began a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday, June 18. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning for Triple-A Memphis.ÌýUpdated June 22

Giovanny Gallegos (right shoulder impingement):ÌýRight-handed reliever joined the club Monday in Miami and was activated Thursday. He threw a bullpen session in front of the Cardinals’ major league pitching coaches on Monday.ÌýUpdated June 21