Miles Mikolas aims to continue Cards’ fast start in clash vs. Angels

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas is in the final season of a three-year, $55.75 million contract, so he faces an uncertain future with his team in transition.

Mikolas will be the subject of trade speculation between his first start Monday night, against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, and the July 31 trade deadline.

The Cardinals cleared out veterans and cut payroll during the offseason, so they might trade other proven players for prospects ahead of the deadline.

“If I have my way, the Cardinals would be playing great baseball by then and we’re adding guys instead of getting rid of them,” Mikolas told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “That’s the goal, to be in the mix for a playoff run ourselves and not worry about anything other than that.

“I’m trying not to be too far-sighted. If I worry about something in July, how can I worry about my next start in five or six days?”

Mikolas has been one of baseball’s most durable pitchers — starting 32 or more games in the last three seasons — but he allowed too much hard contact last season.

Mikolas finished 10-11 with a 5.35 ERA. Opponents hit .284 against him, with a .796 OPS.

He is 1-2 with a 3.54 ERA in five career appearances against the Angels, including three starts.

The Cardinals opened their season on a high note, sweeping their three-game series with the Minnesota Twins by a combined score of 19-6.

“It’s fun to watch,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “I continue to say it, but I feel like every at-bat is a damn dogfight, every pitch is important, every inning is its own game within a game. And you can see it. We score a couple of runs, and the next inning we’re just starting from scratch.”

Meanwhile, the Angels opened their season by winning two of three games from the White Sox in Chicago.

Angels starting pitchers Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano and Jack Kochanowicz all met the quality-start metric (at least six innings, no more than three earned runs) during the series. They combined to allow just five earned runs in 19 innings.

Left-hander Tyler Anderson, who finished 10-15 last season with a 3.81 ERA, will try to extend the Angels’ season-opening success when he starts Monday.

Anderson used spring training to refine his pitch arsenal, working on four-seam fastball movement to use against right-handed batters and different versions of his cutter and curveball to use against lefties.

“This guy’s been pitching for a long time,” Angels manager Ron Washington told MLB.com. “There’s nothing I can specifically point out that he needs to be doing at this point in his career. He just needs to be consistent, as he always is. That’s all that matters with a guy like that.”

Anderson is 1-2 with a 5.49 ERA in four career outings against the Cardinals.

Angels center fielder Jo Adell left Saturday’s game due to left hip tightness and sat out Sunday. He said he hopes to return to the lineup Monday.

Utility player Kyren Paris, who won the competition with outfielder Mickey Moniak for a roster spot, started in center field in Adell’s place Sunday. He hit the game-winning homer in the eighth inning of the Angels’ 3-2 victory.

–Field Level Media