Cardinals announce Quintana, Mikolas as Wild Card Series starters

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - One of John Mozeliak’s key trade deadline acquisitions will take center stage as the Cardinals begin the postseason on Friday afternoon.

The Cardinals are going left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana as the Game 1 starter in the Wild Card Series against the Phillies, which begins at 1:07 p.m. CT Friday at Busch Stadium. The decision was announced Thursday afternoon.

Quintana has been the Cardinals’ best starting pitcher over the past month, posting a 0.81 ERA since the beginning of September. Though the Phillies boast a .770 OPS against lefties that ranks among the top five teams in MLB this season, Quintana has good career numbers against two of Philadelphia’s top left-handed sluggers.

Bryce Harper is 0-for-9 with four strikeouts in his career against Quintana, while the 2022 NL home run leader Kyle Schwarber--who has memorably taken Cardinals pitching deep in a playoff game before--is just 1-for-6 with no extra-base hits and two Ks against the St. Louis lefty.

Miles Mikolas is slated to follow Quintana in the starting pitching pecking order. He will start Game 2 on Saturday night. Mikolas has a 3.29 ERA for the season, which is the best among the Cardinals’ right-handed starters. Adam Wainwright struggled down the stretch with decreased velocity and effectiveness caused by a ‘dead-arm’ period that he has endured, making Mikolas a preferred choice for Saturday’s opportunity.

The Wild Card Series against the Phillies is a best-two-of-three format, with the winner advancing to face Atlanta in the NLDS. Philadelphia will send Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez to the mound against St. Louis. The Cardinals have not yet named a starter for a potential Game 3 on Sunday.

Copyright 2022 KMOV. All rights reserved.