CARDINALS’ MIKOLAS LOSES NO-HITTER ONE STRIKE AWAY
Miles Mikolas was one strike from a no-hitter when he gave up a double to Cal Mitchell with two outs in the ninth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1 to sweep a doubleheader Tuesday night.
Mitchell (Rancho Bernardo High) drove a 2-2 curveball over the head of Gold Glove center fielder Harrison Bader and just beyond his outstretched mitt as the speedy Bader tried to make a running catch with his back to home plate.
The ball bounced on the warning track 383 feet from the plate and over the wall in straightaway center for a ground-rule double.
“I’m a little over it. I mean it stinks, to get that close and then kind of come up empty-handed,” Mikolas said. “That’s a great outing. I’ll be real proud that I gave the bullpen kind of another night off. I know we need it with the doubleheader. I’m happy — but deep down it kind of stinks.”
The hit came on the 129th pitch from Mikolas — his previous career high was 115 on May 29 against Milwaukee. He was lifted right after that for Packy Naughton, who got the final out to hand the Pirates their ninth straight loss.
The 33-year-old Mikolas (5-4) bent over at the waist for a moment when Mitchell’s drive dropped. He struck out six, walked one and left to a standing ovation.
Mitchell entered in the seventh to play right field and got Pittsburgh’s lone hit in his only at-bat of the game.
“I guess he got a little more barrel to it than I thought and that ball, he back-spun it I guess,” Mikolas said. “That ball kind of took off, kind of deep center I guess. Yeah, I mean, that’s a good down-and-away pitch. I just looked at it again. I mean, really can’t be upset. I guess you’ve got to tip your cap to that guy over there.”
Paul Goldschmidt homered off JT Brubaker (0-7) and drove in three runs as St. Louis won 3-1 in the opener of the day-night doubleheader.
Notable
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler had bone spurs removed from his right elbow in a procedure unrelated to the flexor strain that has sidelined him. Buehler says he had the arthroscopic surgery Monday.
He did it now because it doesn’t affect the rest and rehab timeline for the strain. The right-hander is expected to be out 10 to 12 weeks, which means it could be September before he returns. Buehler says he’s “as confident as you can be” that he’ll be able to pitch again this season.
Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom are moving closer to a return for the Mets. Scherzer, who injured his left oblique on May 18, threw in the outfield at Citi Field prior to a series opener against Milwaukee. He is expected to throw a simulated game Thursday. DeGrom hasn’t pitched this year due to a stress reaction in his right scapula. The 33-yearold right-hander threw 30 pitches in his fourth bullpen session.
Cardinals RHP Jack Flaherty will make his first start of the season in the series finale against the Pirates today. Flaherty had a platelet-rich-plasma injection in his shoulder in early March to combat inflammation.
Blue Jays LHP Hyun Jin Ryu will miss the rest of the season because of ligament damage in his elbow. The extent of the damage and the precise nature of the surgery required to repair it is still unknown.