Starting pitcher Miles Mikolas will look to exploit the comforts of home Sunday when the St. Louis Cardinals try to complete a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
Mikolas (10-10, 3.48 ERA) is 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 12 starts at home this season and 5-8 with a 4.41 ERA in 15 road starts.
The National League Central-leading Cardinals won the first two games of the three-game series at Busch Stadium, 8-0 and 8-4. They have won six of their past seven games to improve to 44-22 at home and 37-20 within the division while expanding their lead over the second-place Milwaukee Brewers to 7 1/2 games.
“I like people chasing us,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “We’ll continue to win.”
Mikolas allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 12 hits – including four homers – over 11 innings in his past two starts on the road. Mikolas suffered a 7-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 24, then earned a no-decision as the Cardinals pulled away to a 13-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
He became too aggressive in that game while pitching with an 8-0 lead.
“I was just trying to throw a lot of fastballs, against just not trying to walk guys,” he said. “Those are major league hitters, and sometimes if you don’t treat like major league hitters accordingly they’ll remind you. I threw some pitches that caught a lot of the plate in counts that I shouldn’t and early pitches that weren’t as sharp as they should be, and they make you pay for it.”
He is 1-1 with a 4.13 ERA in four starts against the Cubs this season and 4-3 with a 2.37 ERA in 15 career appearances against then, including 13 starts.
Willson Contreras (7-for-19, two doubles, homer, two RBIs) has hit well against Mikolas in his career, but he has been sidelined by ankle soreness. Nico Hoerner (6-for-13) and Rafael Ortega (6-for-13, double) have also had success against him while Franmil Reyes (0-for-7) has not.
Marcus Stroman (3-6, 3.98) will draw the starting assignment for the Cubs, who have lost six of their past seven games. Stroman is coming off a solid five-inning performance against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, in which he got a no-decision.
He held them to one run on three hits and two walks, although the Cubs lost.
“My sinker was good today,” Stroman said after that game. “When my mechanics are on and my sinker is going, I feel like I can always roll against any lineup.”
Stroman lost his most recent start to the Cardinals, 8-3 on Aug. 25. He allowed five runs on 11 hits and two walks in five innings.
He is 0-2 with a 9.77 ERA in three starts against the Cardinals this season and 1-3 with a 6.06 ERA in six career starts against them.
Stroman has struggled against Cardinals hitters Corey Dickerson (19-for-44, five doubles, three homers, eight RBIs), Paul Goldschmidt (7-for-15, double, three homers, seven RBIs), Tommy Edman (5-for-12), Albert Pujols (5-for-14, three RBIs), Lars Nootbaar (3-for-7, double, two RBIs) and Nolan Gorman (3-for-9, two homers, five RBIs).
–Field Level Media
