Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Pick & Prediction APRIL 12th 2025
Preview and Prediction
Miles Mikolas, the right-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, is determined to approach his next game against the Philadelphia Phillies with a clear and focused mindset. Despite his recent struggles, Mikolas (0-1, 11.25 ERA) is determined to put his previous performance behind him and bounce back on Saturday afternoon.
In his last start against the Boston Red Sox, Mikolas allowed a staggering nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits in just 2 2/3 innings. Reflecting on his performance, Mikolas acknowledged that he made both good and bad pitches, but ultimately the Red Sox had some hot bats that were difficult to contain. He hopes to put this game behind him and move on to his next start, adopting the motto "hakuna matata" and keeping a positive attitude.
The Cardinals will look to Mikolas to lead them to victory in the middle game of their three-game series against the Phillies. In their first game, the Cardinals emerged victorious with a 2-0 win.
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Mikolas' recent struggles against the Red Sox were a stark contrast to his first start of the season, where he held the Los Angeles Angels to just two runs on two hits in 5 1/3 innings. Despite his strong performance, the Cardinals ultimately lost in extra innings.
In his career, Mikolas has faced the Phillies nine times, with a record of 2-4 and an ERA of 4.29. He will be matched up against Phillies' left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (0-0, 4.09 ERA) on Saturday.
Sanchez has had a solid start to the season, with 16 strikeouts and only three walks in 11 innings. However, he has also allowed three home runs. In his last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sanchez gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings, but the Phillies still managed to come out on top with an 8-7 win.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson has made some changes to his batting order in hopes of sparking more offensive production. Struggling third baseman Alec Bohm was moved down to the No. 7 spot in the lineup on Thursday, but he went 0-for-5 in the game. Thomson remains confident in Bohm's abilities and believes he will bounce back soon. In Friday's game, Thomson moved Kyle Schwarber to the cleanup spot and slid Nick Castellanos down to the No. 5 spot, but the Phillies were only able to muster three hits with this new lineup.
The Cardinals may see the return of first baseman Willson Contreras to the lineup on Saturday after sitting out the series opener. Contreras has been in a slump, going 5-for-49 with 22 strikeouts in his first 12 games, after batting an impressive .405 in spring training. Despite his struggles, Contreras remains confident and is not doubting himself.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals may be without shortstop Masyn Winn on Saturday as he exited the series opener with back spasms. Manager Oliver Marmol is unsure of the severity of the injury and will have a better understanding closer to game time.
Both teams will be looking for a win on Saturday, with the Cardinals hoping to continue their success against the Phillies and the Phillies looking to bounce back from their loss in the series opener.
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Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Recap APR 12TH 2025
Andre Pallante and two relievers combined for a three-hitter as the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the visiting Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 Friday night
Pallante (2-0) held the Phillies to two hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out four.
Phil Maton tossed a perfect eighth inning and Ryan Helsley worked around a single in the ninth for his second save.
Yohel Pozo went 3-for-4 with an RBI double for the Cardinals, who have won two of their past three games.
St. Louis shortstop Masyn Winn exited the game after the first inning due to back spasms.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola (0-3) allowed two runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. He fanned seven.
The Phillies, who have lost three of their past four contests, left two runners in scoring position in the first inning. With two outs, Bryce Harper walked and Kyle Schwarber singled him to second. After they executed a double steal, Nick Castellanos lined out to end the frame.
Alec Burleson and Pedro Pages hit singles opening the second inning for the Cardinals, but Nola retired the next three batters.
Lars Nootbaar walked leading off in the third inning for the Cardinals. He stole second base and took third on catcher Rafael Marchan's throwing error before Nola retired the next three batters to leave Nootbaar there.
Philadelphia's Brandon Marsh drew a one-out walk in the fifth inning, took second on Pallante's errant pickoff throw, then moved up again on a groundout. But Pallante struck out Bryson Stott to keep the game scoreless.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the inning. Thomas Saggese hit a leadoff single and scored on Pozo's RBI double.
Nootbaar followed with a single, sending Pozo to third, and took second on a wild pitch. After striking out two batters, Nola walked Nolan Arenado and Burleson to force in a run before retiring Pages on a flyout.
Trea Turner hit a leadoff single for the Phillies in the ninth inning and advanced to third on two groundouts. Castellanos flied out to end the game.