Almost, but not quite: Miles Mikolas came dangerously close to a no-hitter on Tuesday night during the nightcap of a doubleheader versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, his efforts were thwarted by a pesky double in the ninth inning. To add to the theatrics, Mikolas came just one strike away from accomplishing what would have been the Cardinals’ first no-hitter since 2001. You read that right – two outs, in the ninth inning. Mikolas had managed to work Cal Mitchell to a 2-2 count, then Mitchell found Mikolas’ curveball and turned it to the center field wall for a ground-rule double.
Interestingly enough, if Mikolas would have pulled the feat off, he wouldn’t have gotten the shutout. Bryan Reynolds reached on an error in the top of the fourth that allowed him to anchor safely on second base. A ground out by Jack Suwinski allowed Reynolds to advance to third; another ground out by Daniel Vogelbach followed suit, plating Reynolds. It would not have been a perfect game as he hit Canaan Smith-Njigba with a pitch in the second, and walked Yu Chang in the third.
A valiant effort overall; Mikolas located his fastball well and registered 11 called strikes on that pitch. He also notched 11 swings-and-misses, contributing to a very respectable 32% CSW (called strikes plus whiffs) in this 129-pitch marathon performance. The 33-year-old did make it out with the win, at least, and improves to 5-4, with a 2.62 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings pitched over 13 starts.
He didn’t get the no-hitter, the shutout, or a complete game, but he still exited the game to a well-deserved standing ovation by the Cardinal faithful in St. Louis.
Hitters with an EDGE
Andrew Vaughn vs. Tigers
4-for-4, RBI
Batting second in the DH spot tonight, Vaughn got his fair share of at-bats and drove a run in the White Sox’ 5-1 victory over the Tigers. The young slugger is slashing an impressive .333/.389 /.444 over his last 15 games played, including a homer, 10 RBI, and six runs scored.
Luke Voit vs. Cubs
2-for-5, HR, 5 RBI
A five RBI day for Voit, contributing nearly half of the runs scored in Tuesday’s 12-5 routing of the Cubs. He hit a two-run bomb in the sixth inning for his seventh homer of the year, and followed that performance with a bases-clearing double in the seventh to claim the lead for the Padres.
Willson Contreras vs. Padres
3-for-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI
A multi-homer game for Contreras, who rang Sean Manaea up for a solo shot in the first inning, and later a two-run round-tripper in the third. He later sought Manaea for a double for his third hit of the game. This was Contreras’ 10th career multi-homer game; he’s got a healthy .949 OPS over 221 plate appearances.
Pitchers with an EDGE
Chris Bassitt vs. Brewers
8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
What a bounceback start to break a six game winless streak for Bassitt. The righty dazzled in this 109 pitch performance, throwing plenty of first pitch strikes to get to a pitcher’s count. 16 swings and misses also benchmarked Bassitt’s start, five of them on the sinker.
Gerrit Cole vs. Rays
6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Cole scattered five hits over six innings in this start. However, he got into a bit of a pickle in the sixth inning where the Rays loaded the bases. Cole induced a double play on a ground ball hit by Randy Arozarena to escape the jam, and end his outing.
Tony Gonsolin vs. Angels
6 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Gonsolin’s elevated fastball was highly effective, and set up his changeup very well in this start. The right hander threw the fastball for plenty of strikes, but used the slider effectively as a putaway pitch. Gonsolin also recorded an out in the seventh inning for the first time in two years on Tuesday. With this start, his ERA is now down to a magnificent 1.42. The Cat Man has been a highly reliable starter in the back end of the Dodgers rotation, alongside Tyler Anderson.
Closing Time
Giovanny Gallegos vs. Pirates (9th Save)
1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
A 16 pitch, one inning save for Gallegos, who only relinquished a two-out double to Canaan Smith-Njigba, but otherwise stifled a Pirates rally in the matinee game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. He’s now converted 9 out of 12 possible save opportunities.
Clay Holmes vs. Rays (10th Save)
1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Holmes picked up his 10th save of the year by starting the ninth with two quick strikeouts; Brett Phillips singled on a 1-2 count, but Francisco Mejía lined out right after. Holmes now has a molecular 0.30 ERA and 0.67 WHIP over 29 2/3 innings pitched.
Jackson Stephens vs. Nationals (2nd Save)
3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
This was a three-inning save for Stephens, who gave up just one hit over the course of this pitching appearance.
Ryan Pressly vs. Rangers (12th Save)
1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
A rather quick, eight pitch save for Pressly, who made short work of the Rangers in order to preserve a one-run lead. The Astros closer has converted 12 out of 14 save opportunities.
Jorge Lopez vs. Blue Jays (9th Save)
1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
A five-out save for Lopez, who entered the game in the eighth inning with a runner on first. He struck out one batter, and managed to preserve the Orioles’ one-run lead.
Tanner Scott vs. Phillies (5th Save)
1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Scott came in the ninth inning to preserve a two-run lead in what was a rather wild comeback for the Marlins, after a blown save from Phillies closer Corey Knebel. He’s converted a perfect five out of five possible save opportunities; this was also Knebel’s fourth blown save of the year.
Camilo Doval vs. Royals (9th Save)
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Doval was tasked to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning. He issued a dreaded leadoff walk to Carlos Santana, but forced a lineout and ended the evening with two strikeouts. The 24-year-old has converted nine out of 11 possible save opportunities.
Craig Kimbrel vs. Angels (12th Save)
1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
What a nail-biter of a save. Kimbrel loaded the bases via a single relinquished to Mike Trout and double to Shohei Ohtani; he capped off the cardiac event by issuing a walk to Matt Duffy to load the bases. He managed to end the evening by nabbing Max Stassi on a called strike, with a fastball right on the corner.
Priority Pickup
Matt Carpenter - INF - New York Yankees - Rostered in 12% of Yahoo Leagues
The 36-year-old veteran has been quite the surprise since being picked up by the Yankees on May 26. Coming off a two-homer, seven-RBI performance on Sunday, he’s now slashing a monstrous .333/.467/1.125 with six homers and 13 RBI in 24 at-bats through his first 10 games. He’s worth a closer look, especially if he maintains this high level of production.
Wednesday’s Matchup of the Day
Jack Flaherty (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Roansy Contreras (1-1, 2.57 ERA)
Flaherty is making his first start of the season, after being out since spring training with right shoulder inflammation. He’s made enough progress to the point where he’s cut his rehab stint short, but will be on a pitch limit on Wednesday. Flaherty himself mentioned that he’d get more of an advantage of an increase of intensity by pitching at the Major League level rather than increase his workload at the minor league level. Meanwhile, Roansy Contreras will take the hill for the Pirates. His last start was not impressive, where he gave up four runs off eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, but was still able to miss bats and strike out seven. He’s earned some respectable numbers this season, with a 2.57 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
American League Quick Hits
White Sox activated RHP Joe Kelly from the 15-day injured list. … White Sox placed RHP Liam Hendriks on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 11, with a right forearm strain. … Blue Jays placed RHP Julian Merryweather on the 15-day injured list with a left abdominal strain. … Trey Mancini was held out of the Orioles starting lineup on Tuesday due to a right hand injury…Anthony Rendon exited Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers after aggravating his right wrist injury.
National League Quick Hits
The Braves have won 13 straight games. … The Padres announced Tuesday that Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s recent CT scan did not show the level of healing that they had hoped to see and that the timeline for his return will be pushed back … Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuesday that Steven Matz has received a second injection in his injured left shoulder … Travis Jankowski (hand) hopes to be cleared to grip a bat next week. … Braves placed 2B Ozzie Albies on the 60-day injured list with a fractured left foot.
