St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (shoulder) returned from the injured list to make Friday's start and pitched well. He went five innings, allowing two runs (zero earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out five. Mikolas had only pitched in one game this season and spent most of the time dealing with shoulder and forearm injuries, but he seemed healthy in this one, throwing 84 pitches before departing. As long as he stays healthy, Mikolas should remain in the Cardinals rotation and should provide fantasy value in deeper leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (shoulder) will be activated from the injured list to make the start on Friday. Mikolas has only pitched once this season due to a variety of arm troubles first in his forearm and then in his shoulder. He's back for a rotation that desperately needs him, as the Cardinals have seemingly been sending out 40-year-old lefties that throw 87 mph fastballs every game since the trade deadline. Mikolas will probably be on a pitch count, but he should eventually work his way to being a decent option in deeper leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (forearm) will make one more minor league rehab start before joining the big league club. In what was originally supposed to be his final rehab start, Mikolas gave up seven runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings. The poor outing made the Cardinals add a rehab start to his progression to make sure he was fully ready to pitch in the big leagues. He's only pitched four innings for the Cardinals this year, but the team could surely use him in their rotation and he should be able to return next week.

PHOENIX (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas faces another lengthy layoff following an injury to his right forearm, though the team is hopeful that he'll still be able to return and pitch this season. St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Friday that the 2018 All-Star won't throw for four to six weeks in an effort to let his arm heal. Mikolas has had two MRIs on his throwing arm and both agree that there is no sign of a flexor tendon tear or UCL injury, which is commonly associated with Tommy John surgery. Shildt said Mikolas is disappointed that he'll have to miss a substantial amount of time, but also pleased that the injury wasn't worse. “We were encouraged by it,” Shildt said. “Nothing in the UCL or tendon, everything structurally is as we anticipated, sound and intact. It’s just time. Four to six weeks before he picks up a baseball again. But he and we expect — unless there’s a setback — that he’ll pitch again for us this year. Mikolas was hurt in his first outing of the season on May 22 against the Chicago Cubs. The 32-year-old right-hander missed all of the 2020 season after flexor tendon surgery, then hurt his pitching shoulder in his first bullpen session of 2021. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — César Hernández hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday that dropped the Twins to 0-8 in extra-inning games this season. Hernández’s first career game-ending home run led off the 10th and sliced over the right-field wall to score Austin Hedges, who started at second base under pandemic rules. Colomé (2-4) also gave up Jordan Luplow’s leadoff homer in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss at Cleveland on April 26. James Karinchak (2-0) got four outs, finishing a 4 2/3 hitless scoreless Indians bullpen behind AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. Bieber allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, ending his 23-game streak of at least seven strikeouts. DODGERS 6, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Max Muncy hit a home run into McCovey Cove, connecting off Scott Kazmir in the lefty’s first big league game since 2016, and Los Angeles beat San Francisco for its seventh straight... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — César Hernández hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday that dropped the Twins to 0-8 in extra-inning games this season. Hernández’s first career game-ending home run led off the 10th and sliced over the right-field wall to score Austin Hedges, who started at second base under pandemic rules. Colomé (2-4) also gave up Jordan Luplow’s leadoff homer in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss at Cleveland on April 26. James Karinchak (2-0) got four outs, finishing a 4 2/3 hitless scoreless Indians bullpen behind AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. Bieber allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, ending his 23-game streak of at least seven strikeouts. DODGERS 6, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Max Muncy hit a home run into McCovey Cove, connecting off Scott Kazmir in the lefty’s first big league game since 2016, and Los Angeles beat San Francisco for its seventh straight... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — César Hernández hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday that dropped the Twins to 0-8 in extra-inning games this season. Hernández’s first career game-ending home run led off the 10th and sliced over the right-field wall to score Austin Hedges, who started at second base under pandemic rules. Colomé (2-4) also gave up Jordan Luplow’s leadoff homer in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss at Cleveland on April 26. James Karinchak (2-0) got four outs, finishing a 4 2/3 hitless scoreless Indians bullpen behind AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. Bieber allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, ending his 23-game streak of at least seven strikeouts. DODGERS 6, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Max Muncy hit a home run into McCovey Cove, connecting off Scott Kazmir in the lefty’s first big league game since 2016, and Los Angeles beat San Francisco for its seventh straight... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — César Hernández hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday that dropped the Twins to 0-8 in extra-inning games this season. Hernández’s first career game-ending home run led off the 10th and sliced over the right-field wall to score Austin Hedges, who started at second base under pandemic rules. Colomé (2-4) also gave up Jordan Luplow’s leadoff homer in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss at Cleveland on April 26. James Karinchak (2-0) got four outs, finishing a 4 2/3 hitless scoreless Indians bullpen behind AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. Bieber allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, ending his 23-game streak of at least seven strikeouts. DODGERS 6, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Max Muncy hit a home run into McCovey Cove, connecting off Scott Kazmir in the lefty’s first big league game since 2016, and Los Angeles beat San Francisco for its seventh straight... [More]

By The Associated Press (AP) — A look at what’s happening around the majors on Saturday: ___ DELAYED DEBUT Miles Mikolas returns to the majors for the first time since starting the opener of the 2019 NL Championship Series for St. Louis. He'll start for the NL Central leaders when they play the Cubs at Busch Stadium. The 32-year-old Cardinals right-hander missed last season after surgery to repair a flexor tendon in his pitching arm. He has been on the injured list this year with a sore right shoulder. Mikolas went 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA and 11 strikeouts and two walks in 12 1/3 innings during three injury rehabilitation outings with Triple-A Memphis. Mikolas was an All-Star in 2018 when he tied for the NL lead with 18 victories. In 2019, he tied for the NL lead with 14 losses. AFTERNOON DELIGHT Gerrit Cole (5-2, 2.03 ERA) is on the mound for a Yankee Stadium matinee against AL MVP José Abreu and the Chicago White Sox, who arrived in town with the best record in the American League. “Obviously,... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals plan to start the season Thursday in Cincinnati with pitchers Kwang Hyun Kim, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas on the injured list along with outfielder Harrison Bader. Hudson always planned to begin on the season on the injured list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Kim is dealing with a back injury, Mikolas with a sore shoulder and Bader has a strained right foreman that could keep him out a month, the Cardinals said Sunday. The Cardinals also reassigned pitcher Kodi Whitley and outfielder Lane Thomas and reassigned catchers Tyler Heineman and Dennis Ortego and infielders Max Moroff and Jose Rondon to the minors as they settle their opening day roster. The moves mean the Cardinals plan to keep utility man John Nogowski, infielder Edmundo Sosa, pitcher Jake Woodford and outfielders Austin Dean and Justin Williams on the roster they will submit Thursday to start the season. “It was a tough competition, there were some tough conversations,” Cardinals... [More]

Nolan Arenado arrived at spring training about a week before the rest of the St. Louis Cardinals' position players, trying to get accustomed to the time change of Florida from his home on the West Coast along with learning his way around his first new team in a dozen years in pro baseball. Turns out the time change has been every bit the challenge of the new organization. “I was hurting there for a while,” Arenado admitted, “but I'm good now.” The Cardinals hope he can be great. They were quiet almost the entire offseason, the grand sum of their moves amounting to the re-signing of erstwhile ace Adam Wainwright and a couple smaller transactions. But that all changed in the weeks before camp, when they got into serious talks for what became a three-team deal with the Rockies and Mets to land the star third baseman. Suddenly, the Cardinals had pulled off one of the biggest acquisitions in baseball, solidifying their lineup with a five-time All-Star and three-time home run champion while making... [More]

John Gant had just settled into his seat, with those flowing red locks and rust-colored beard giving the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher an unmistakable presence, when he was asked about how comfortable he's become working out of the bullpen. He went 11-1 as a reliever a couple years ago and was nearly as dominant during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. “I would really like to have a chance at that starting rotation," Gant replied, “and get out of that bullpen role.” So much for that line of questioning. “If that's where the team sees me,” Gant continued, “that's where they see me. I can't do anything about that. But I really want a crack at that rotation and get some starts again. ... I want to get an opportunity to go deeper into games, and go out there and play baseball for a couple of hours instead of a couple minutes." The problem for Gant is that the decision does not rest entirely in his hands, no matter how well he pitches in spring training. The Cardinals have four starters relatively... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:___ON THE FLYThe Yankees will open a two-game series in Baltimore after their scheduled games this week in Philadelphia were postponed due to the Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak. The switch was announced Tuesday afternoon, and the Yankees had already begun driving their equipment back to New York when they got word that Major League Baseball might instead send them to Baltimore this week. “We’re drinking out of a fire hose on all this stuff right now,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. The Marlins’ season has been suspended through Sunday after the club registered at least 15 players with positive coronavirus tests. The Phillies, who hosted Miami on Sunday, have ramped up their testing and not found any positive players. Despite that, Philadelphia's season is on pause until at least Friday, when the Phillies are set to host the Blue Jays in what’s technically a home game for displaced Toronto. NOT-QUITE-HOME OPENERThe Blue Jays... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday:___ON THE FLYThe Yankees will open a two-game series in Baltimore after their scheduled games this week in Philadelphia were postponed due to the Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak. The switch was announced Tuesday afternoon, and the Yankees had already begun driving their equipment back to New York when they got word that Major League Baseball might instead send them to Baltimore this week. “We’re drinking out of a fire hose on all this stuff right now,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. The Marlins’ season has been suspended through Sunday after the club registered at least 15 players with positive coronavirus tests. The Phillies, who hosted Miami on Sunday, have ramped up their testing and not found any positive players. Despite that, Philadelphia's season is on pause until at least Friday, when the Phillies are set to host the Blue Jays in what’s technically a “home” game for displaced Toronto. NOT-QUITE-HOME OPENERThe Blue... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will have season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his strained right forearm, creating an opening in the rotation. The Cardinals placed Mikolas on the 10-day injured list before their game Tuesday at Minnesota. Mikolas was supposed to start on Wednesday. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon will take the mound against the Twins instead. The 31-year-old Mikolas pitched four innings for the Cardinals in an exhibition game last week. He missed spring training with the injury, but after nearly four more months to rest during the virus shutdown, he ramped up his activity when camp reconvened. Mikolas wasn't feeling right after his most recent bullpen, Mozeliak said, and an MRI on Monday prompted the need for a procedure. The estimated rehabilitation time is four months. The elbow ligament was deemed fully intact, but pitching through the injury this summer would have put him... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt will be out for several more games because of a sore right elbow.Goldschmidt's throwing was limited by the Cardinals during the start of spring training, and he made his first two exhibition starts as a designated hitter. He has not played since Sunday.Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday he expected the 32-year-old Goldschmidt to miss a couple more games.“He's had off and on discomfort,” Shildt said.The six-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner is hitting .300 with two homers in 20 spring training at-bats.Goldschmidt hit .260 with 34 homers and 97 RBIs last year for the NL Central champions after the Cardinals acquired him in an offseason trade with Arizona. His batting average was more than 30 points below his career average.Right-hander Miles Mikolas was scheduled to play catch on Wednesday as part of his rehabilitation from a flexor tendon injury in his throwing arm. The 2018 All-Star received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Feb. 18 and is expected to miss the first month of the season.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Nervous or not, South Korean star Kwang Hyun Kim is proving problematic for major league hitters.The 31-year-old left-hander retired all six Miami batters he faced in his first Grapefruit League start for the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. It came after he threw one shutout inning of relief against the New York Mets on Saturday.“I was nervous today compared to my first appearance, against the Mets,” Kim said through an interpreter. "I had a long time to prepare, so that made me kind of nervous.”Kim struggled with control of his off-speed pitches in the first inning, but he found his rhythm in the second. He kept batters off balance mixing a fastball that touched 95 mph with his curve, eliciting some ugly swings and soft contact. The Marlins didn't get a ball out of the infield against Kim.“Last time against the Mets, because it was my first appearance, they tried to be patient,” Kim said. “Because I was aggressive today, pounding the strike zone, they were aggressive... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Jack Flaherty is getting the ball on opening day for the St. Louis Cardinals.St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Saturday the 24-year-old Flaherty will start the season opener March 26 at Cincinnati. It will be the right-hander's first opening day start and comes after he finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting with a closing surge last season.“It's one of of those things you work for and you want it,” Flaherty said.The nod comes one season after Flaherty pitched the home opener for the Cardinals.“It's cool,” Flaherty said. “Just happy I get the ball first, get the first chance to go out and kind of set the tone for the season.”Shildt gave Flaherty the news on Friday, not a surprise after Flaherty went 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA last season. Seven of those wins came after the All-Star break, when he posted a 0.91 ERA. He also started three games in the postseason, allowing four earned runs in 13 innings.Flaherty started three games against the Reds last season, allowing... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The health of Carlos Martinez's shoulder is even more important for the St. Louis Cardinals now that Miles Mikolas will miss the first few weeks of the season because of an inflamed flexor tendon.Shoulder weakness last spring training following off-season surgery prompted the Cardinals to shift Martinez to the bullpen. He eventually replaced injured Jordan Hicks as closer, saving 24 games in 27 chances. “We're looking for consistency in how he's doing, how he's recovering,” St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said. “That a big thing for Carlos, making sure the strength is there.”An All-Star in 2015 and 2017, Martinez considers himself a starting pitcher.“I feel stronger,” said Martinez, who lost 15 pounds during the off-season. “The day after I throw I don't feel tired.”St. Louis has an opening for a starter in a rotation projected to include Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson and Adam Wainwright.“This time last year he wasn't in as good a spot from a throwing standpoint and being... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing throwing arm, likely delaying his regular-season debut by about one month.A 2018 All-Star, Mikolas received a similar injection after last season to treat a flexor tendon issue.St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that the injection will keep Mikolas from throwing for three to four weeks. Once he is cleared to throw, Mikolas will have to restart his throwing program from the beginning.“It gives us a better chance to be able to get him off to a healthy start and get what he's dealing with behind him,” Shildt said.The Cardinals scratched Mikolas from his second scheduled bullpen session of the spring. An MRI done over the last few days showed the arm to be no better or worse than during a similar exam taken following the 2019 season.It's possible that Mikolas will remain in Jupiter when the Cardinals break camp in late March.“I think the plan is still evolving,... [More]