The St. Louis Cardinals enter Tuesday's game with a surprising statistic: They have the best record in the National League since May 12.
That's right. They're 21-11 since that day, despite depth and struggles up the middle of their lineup. The Cardinals (36-35) got the job done on Monday in their series opener against the struggling Miami Marlins, moving above .500 for the first time since April 6 (5-4).
Fly the L.#ForLou pic.twitter.com/kSY1znSbKL
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 16, 2024
Let’s break down three trends that favor the Cardinals.
Contreras began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday and could return to the major league team as early as Monday. This means a lot for the Cardinals, because Contreras was the team's best all-around player and on track to become an All-Star candidate before breaking his arm on May 7. Before his injury, Contreras had a team-leading .950 OPS and his defense and pitch framing had improved significantly from last season.
It's worth noting that Contreras could be back by next week. He was originally expected to miss eight weeks, but the Cardinals had hoped he'd be back before the All-Star break. If his rehab goes as planned, Contreras will be back a few weeks ahead of that timeline.
Contreras is not expected to play a full game in Memphis, at least not as a starter, and his focus will be on building his stamina. He will serve as the designated hitter on Tuesday and work his way up to catcher over the next few days.
Having key players return from injury will also be important to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, who will be evaluating teams in the weeks leading up to MLB's trade deadline.
“(The trade deadline) is dependent on the health of this team,” Mozeliak said in an interview with The Athletic last week. “I've mentioned Contreras, (Lars) Nootbaa's return. I'm starting to hear a lot of optimism about (Tommy) Edman. If all of a sudden those guys are back in our lineup, then we'll have a lot more confidence in our lineup.”
Edman and Nootbar are also improving. Edman is scheduled to head to the team's spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla., to begin preparations for games. Nootbar should be able to swing soon. Both could be back in time for the All-Star break.
Pedro Pagés fighting for more playing time
Pagès had an unforgettable weekend in Chicago, hitting his first major league home run on Friday and his second (a game-winning one) two days later, complete with a Father's Day weekend that was complete with many family members in town, including his father, Edgar.
“The first thing he did was hug me and start crying,” Pagés said, “and I said, 'Don't cry,' and the tears just started flowing. It was a really big moment for us.”
“I'm just sitting here laughing. I don't even know what to do with myself right now.” https://t.co/kzrBiTqxz0
— Katie Wu (@katiejwoo) June 14, 2024
Pagès has been a standout catcher and has seen his playing time increase. He has started six of the last seven games, and pitchers have praised him for his preparation and poise. Ivan Herrera also deserves praise, but Pagès' strength is his arm. Runners have been coming at Herrera this year.
With Contreras's return looming, questions will arise about the backup catcher. Herrera and Pagès have filled the void admirably. Is there a scenario in which the Cardinals would keep both on the roster even if Contreras returns?
Yes, and it's likely. The Cardinals' lack of depth in their right-handed backup roster has been a topic of discussion in recent weeks. There's also been discussion that Pagès could remain as a backup while Herrera takes over as a backup hitter when Contreras returns. Having three catchers isn't ideal, but it at least gives manager Olli Marmol some backup flexibility while others recover from injuries.
Since his ERA rose to 6.43 through the first six weeks of the season, Mikolas has returned to reliable consistency.
Mikolas recorded his fifth consecutive quality start in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, allowing one earned run, no walks and striking out five over 6 1/3 innings. Since allowing a season-high six earned runs over four innings against the New York Mets in early May, Mikolas has now recorded six quality starts in seven opportunities. He has a 2.76 ERA during that span and has pitched fewer innings than usual.
Miles Mikolas struck out two in the sixth inning. pic.twitter.com/5b2lTq6V6b
—Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 16, 2024
Less has been the key for Mikolas. He has lightened up on his bullpen pitches between starts and is careful not to overdo it when he pitches. He has come to rely on a six-pitch combination to keep hitters guessing. Marmol has also been cautious with Mikolas, not hesitating to remove him before his third batting order, regardless of how many pitches he has thrown. Mikolas has only thrown more than 90 pitches three times in his last seven starts, which is somewhat unusual given the amount of innings he has pitched so far. One of only five pitchers to reach 200 innings last year, Mikolas prides himself on staying in games for long periods of time. But he has had no problems with innings pitched recently, and his overall production has improved significantly.
Still, his start on Sunday, in which he threw 91 pitches before leaving the game with one out and a runner on second base in the seventh inning, felt more like his typical performance.
“The more regular pitch count you can get, the more prepared you are going to be when you go out there,” Mikolas said. “I was happy to get to 90 pitches. I've been really efficient in my last few starts, but I'm happy to get to 90.”
(Photo of Pedro Pagés and Miles Mikolas by Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
