With the All-Star break just around the corner and the playoff picture tightening, the Cardinals are making subtle but telling changes — and all eyes are on the pitching staff. Particularly Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde.
St. Louis opens a six-game homestand Tuesday with a three-game set against the Washington Nationals, and they’re quietly shuffling the rotation in a move that looks like a soft reset. Sonny Gray will take the ball Tuesday, Andre Pallante goes Wednesday, and Miles Mikolas is set for Thursday. How they handle the final pre-break series against the Atlanta Braves? That’s still up in the air.
The rotation change might not scream “drama,” but it’s what’s beneath the surface that matters.
Sonny Gray — the team’s most reliable starter so far — could be lined up to pitch twice before the break. Mikolas is moved slightly forward, likely to buy extra rest for Matthew Liberatore. Pallante, meanwhile, gets an extra day off. But none of this directly addresses the elephant in the room: the continued struggles of Mikolas and Erick Fedde.
The Numbers don’t Lie. Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde are Awful
The Cardinals are just 13-22 in games started by that duo this season. Erick Fedde hasn’t won since May 9, owns a 5.70 ERA, and has coughed up 17 earned runs in his last 10 innings. Miles Mikolas? No wins since May 23, a 7.75 ERA over his last seven starts, and a hard-hit rate trending in the wrong direction. He gave up a career-worst six homers in his latest outing — part of the Cubs’ franchise-record eight bombs on Friday.
Brutal
Fedde’s most recent start was even shorter — 53 pitches to record four outs on national TV. Brutal.
Now, the Cardinals are caught in a balancing act. They’re just 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, which means every game matters. But continuing to roll out struggling veterans could stall their postseason hopes — and block the development of young arms like Michael McGreevy, who’s on regular rest and eligible to return this weekend.
Oli Marmol hasn’t committed to anything yet. After Mikolas’ disaster Friday, Marmol told reporters, “We’ll look at all of it tomorrow.” Then, after Fedde’s Sunday implosion, he was a little more pointed: “He has to find a solution… continuing to go down this road doesn’t seem beneficial.”
Translation: Fedde’s spot in the rotation may not survive the week.
And there’s another wrinkle
Both Mikolas and Fedde are free agents at season’s end. That technically makes them trade candidates, but recent performance complicates that picture. Fedde, with an affordable deal, could draw mild interest as a bullpen depth piece or late-season flier. Mikolas? He’s got a no-trade clause and a much heftier contract. Moving him would be difficult, if not impossible.
Designating either one for assignment would free up a roster spot — and send a loud message — but history says the Cardinals don’t make those moves lightly. It would mean eating salary for no return.
So for now, it’s a light shuffle, not a full shake-up. A quiet nod that change might be coming, but not quite yet.
What the Cardinals do over the next week — and how Mikolas and Fedde respond, if given the chance — could go a long way in determining whether St. Louis charges toward October… or slips quietly into seller mode as one MLB insider has predicted for quite some time.
