MILWAUKEE — Significantly better of late — and dramatically improved from a rough three seasons — veteran right-hander Miles Mikolas twirled a gem over five innings on Sunday that allowed him to even his seven-year mark with the Cardinals to 68-68.
How many more starts the 37-year-old Mikolas has with the Cardinals remains to be seen with the two-year extension signed before the 2023 season expiring in a matter of weeks. Still, the crafty veteran will always have Sunday’s effort that paved the way for a 3-2 Cardinals win over the Brewers before 42,269 fans at sold-out American Family Field on Sunday.
Mikolas limited the playoff-bound Brewers to two runs off five hits, including solo home runs by Caleb Durbin and Danny Jansen, over five innings. Mikolas steadied himself in the fifth inning after Jansen’s homer drew the Brewers within one run. He got Andrew Monasterio on a groundout, struck out Sal Frelick looking and got Milwaukee star Jackson Chourio to fly out to center. Making his 201st career start with the Cards, Mikolas has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his past four starts.
The win allowed the Cardinals to end a five-game losing streak and keep their slim playoff hopes alive for another day. After dropping three straight games in Seattle and losing the first two in Milwaukee, the Cardinals won on Sunday to remain four games back of the Mets for the National League’s No. 3 Wild Card spot. A problem, however, is that the Giants, Reds and D-Backs stand between the Cards and the Mets.
