Photo Credit: Francisco Diez (Flickr CC)
Over the next couple of weeks everyone is going to learn a fair amount about where the Brewers stand in comparison to their National League Central rivals. Monday’s home opener against the Cardinals is their first of ten consecutive games against St. Louis and Chicago, the division’s other likely contenders for 2018 playoff berths.
The Brewers enter this stretch with a bit of an edge in the standings: They completed a sweep of the Padres on Saturday to improve to 3-0 while the Cubs lost on Sunday to fall to 2-2. The Cardinals had an even rougher weekend, losing their first two contests to the Mets before salvaging the series’ final game on Sunday.
To preview this week’s games and the season ahead we enlisted the help of Josey Curtis, the new managing editor of Cardinals site Viva El Birdos on the SB Nation network. Josey is also on Twitter as @Curtis_Josey.
KL: The Cardinals season got off to a rough start with a series loss in New York. Is this a blip on the radar or a cause for concern?
JC: A blip on the radar, I would say. For one, the first two games were in March, so I wouldn’t want to invest too heavily in those. And two, the Cardinals were facing one of the best starting-pitching duos in the game in Syndergaard and deGrom, so that certainly had a negative impact on what is projected to be a solid offense. The Cardinals won’t be facing that tier of starting pitching in every series.
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KL: Miles Mikolas will get the ball on Monday in his first MLB regular season appearance since 2014. What can you tell us about him?
JC: Miles Mikolas is a low-risk, high-reward pitcher, and the Cardinals would be beyond thrilled if he pitched to that narrative. Signed for $15.5 million across the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the 29-year-old Mikolas brings a veteran presence to the starting staff that isn’t quite there - especially when you subtract Adam Wainwright. Mikolas isn’t expected to be a top-of-the-line guy, and St. Louis doesn’t expect him to be. The Cardinals are trying to fill innings with quality pitching, and if Mikolas provides this, he’ll be a key piece of the team.
KL: After being a key part of this organization's success for a long time, this year's Cardinals pitching staff is something of a question mark. Is there reason to believe things will get better once Adam Wainwright, Alex Reyes and Derek Holland join/rejoin the active roster, or will this be a concern all season?
JC: This is an interesting year for the pitching staff, no doubt about it. There are concerns to be had with all members of the starting staff, and the bullpen isn’t entirely paved out. The addition of Greg Holland provides the Cardinals a legitimate closer and allows Luke Gregerson to take a set-up role. Alex Reyes belongs in the starting rotation, and, when he is ready, he will likely get a spot there. With Adam Wainwright, you hope, as a general baseball fan, that he can pitch steadily for one final year. (This is his final contracted season.) However, it is also important that the team puts itself in a position for success. And if greater success is found with Reyes or Jack Flaherty pitching in what would be Wainwright’s ‘spot’, the team will need to go that route.
KL: Marcell Ozuna has been an All-Star each of the last two seasons and stands out as the Cardinals' biggest offseason addition. What are the early reviews on the trade that brought him to St. Louis?
JC: The trade to acquire Marcell Ozuna receives much positivity. Ozuna, an All-Star for his offense and a Gold Glove-winner in the outfield, gives the Cardinals much stability. Ozuna’s presence in the lineup makes the batters around him better, and his ability to handle the left-field duties will help a defense that has been shaky over recent seasons.
KL: What does success look like for the 2018 Cardinals?
JC: Success for the 2018 Cardinals would be returning to the postseason for the first time since 2015. The team can achieve this feat by establishing consistency, a trait they have notably lacked across the 2016 and ’17 campaigns.
