It's a year of reinvention for Miles Mikolas, who is attempting numerous adjustments in attempts to regain some lost effectiveness in the final year of his contract.
Mikolas starts Wednesday as the Cardinals wrap a disastrous seven-game road trip with a game vs. the Braves at 11:15 a.m. (St. Louis time). The Cardinals look to finish the trip on a strong note after a 10-4 win Tuesday night.
The right-hander Mikolas (0-2, 7.64) has had an up-and-down start to his season. Below is a look at what he is doing differently and how it's working.
Fewer strikes: Known as a strike-thrower, Mikolas' mandate this season is to throw fewer strikes. In 2025, his 55.3% zone rate is 1.4 percentage points lower than last year, but as compared to his career numbers, he's still throwing a higher percentage of strikes than in any other season prior to 2024.
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More walks: That focus on fewer strikes is resulting in far more walks. Mikolas has historically had one of the lowest walk rates in the majors, in the top 10% of pitchers for his entire career through last season. In 2025, however, Mikolas' walk rate is up five percentage points to 8.6%, putting him squarely in the middle of MLB pitchers.
Stubbornly high hard-hit rate: Mikolas' early numbers this season showed a significant reduction in hard-hit rate, but they've been trending in the wrong direction. An astronomical 61% of batted balls hit off him last weekend by the Mets were hit hard, bringing his season-average to 42.9%, or slightly worse than last season. Across baseball so far, the hard-hit rate has increased, so Mikolas has actually improved his standing among pitchers in hard-hit rate.
No homers: Last season, Mikolas was ninth-worst among qualified starters with 1.36 home runs allowed per nine innings pitched. This season, he's yet to allow a homer.
Tighter, more effective slider: Mikolas' slider this season is sharper and shorter, and he's throwing it more often. At 30.4%, it's Mikolas' most-thrown pitch this season. The whiff rate against it has jumped from 16.4% to 22.2%.
Opposing Mikolas on Wednesday is Braves right-hander Bryce Elder (0-1, 7.20), who has allowed between three and five runs in each of his three starts.
The Cardinals are 10-14, while the Braves are 9-14.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Lars Nootbaar, LF
2. Willson Contreras, DH
3. Nolan Gorman, 2B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Alec Burleson, 1B
6. Jordan Walker, RF
7. Yohel Pozo, C
8. Victor Scott II, CF
9. Masyn Winn, SS
P: Miles Mikolas, RHP
BRAVES
1. Michael Harris II, CF
2. Austin Riley, 3B
3. Marcell Ozuna, DH
4. Matt Olson, 1B
5. Ozzie Albies, 2B
6. Drake Baldwin, C
7. Eli White, LF
8. Jarred Kelenic, RF
9. Nick Allen, SS
P: Bryce Elder, RHP
Injury report
Brendan Donovan, UT (rib subluxation): The Cardinals' utility fielder had a rib slip out of place overnight and he had to have it reset Tuesday, several hours before game time. Donovan tested how his torso felt with sprinting and other activities Wednesday morning to determine if he would be available at some point in the game. He's expected in the lineup Friday. Updated April 23
Ivan Herrera, C (bone bruise): Continues a baserunning progression back in St. Louis, and he has steadily increased his other baseball activities. He's catching pitches off the velocity pitching machine, and he's also hitting pitches off the velocity pitching machine. Herrera is running in straight lines and will, depending on his comfort, start rounding bases in near future.  Updated April 23
Zack Thompson, LHP (lat strain):Â Lefty is making strides on his throwing program back in Jupiter, Florida, and he's nearing a schedule that will start to resemble spring training. Thompson went through multiple checkups and scans to monitor the healing of a tear in his lat on the left side, and they did not show any setback to delayed Thompson's scheduled move to the injured list. On April 7, Thompson was transferred to the 60-day IL. Updated April 23
