Cardinals: Biggest X-Factors for Game 2 against the Phillies

After collapsing at the end of Game 1, the St. Louis Cardinals are on the brink of elimination and need big games from the following players.

It’s hard to come to grips with what happened in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. But this is baseball. The game moves on, and you better be ready when the first pitch is thrown. The St. Louis Cardinals’ season is on the line.

In a season full of highs and lows, it would be as brutal of an ending as possible for St. Louis to see Game 1 slip through their fingers and be closed out in Game 2 in Busch Stadium. This club is better than that, has more fight than that, and there is plenty of reason to believe they have the mental toughness to overcome such a loss.

In order to win Game 2, various players will need to step up to the plate. There was a lot of bad luck dealt to the club in Game 1, so you have to believe the results will play better on Saturday. After watching Game 1, here are the biggest X-Factors for St. Louis in order to force Game 3 on Sunday.

Miles Mikolas

For the majority of the 2022 season, Miles Mikolas has been St. Louis’ best starter. It is only fitting that he would be called upon in the biggest game of their season.

After struggling a bit in August, Mikolas turned things around in his last 3 starts, allowing just 2 runs and 13 base runners in 15 innings of work. Two of these starts were 6 inning outings against the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres, showing he has been a gamer down the stretch against contenders.

Jose Quintana was brilliant against Philadelphia on Friday, keeping their bats quiet as St. Louis continued to attack Zach Wheeler. The Cardinals are going to need a similar outing from Mikolas, as their offense looks to do damage against another one of the game’s best starters, Aaron Nola.

St. Louis already had to rely on Jordan Hicks, Giovanni Gallegos, Ryan Helsley, and Andre Pallante in Game 1. Hicks and Gallegos are likely available again in Game 2, but Helsley is surely out after experiencing numbness in his finger and throwing 33 pitches. Pallante only threw 22 pitches but his availability is maybe in question as well. Mikolas going deep into Game 2 is important for the later innings as well as a potential Game 3.

If St. Louis gets a bad start from Mikolas, it’s hard to imagine they’ll be suiting up for a Game 3 on Sunday.