Cardinals collapse against Mets has a lone bright spot

The St. Louis Cardinals had the Mets down to their last out, only to lose thanks to a series of miscues, including a Nolan Arenado error. But there was a bright spot.

Arenado’s error was unlike him. As a platinum glove winner at third base, he’s one of the best at fielding his position in baseball.

Yet, Arenado’s untimely mistake, along with a hustling single by Dom Smith and a home run from Brandon Nimmo, completed a surprising five-run inning by the Mets which ultimately led to the Cards’ demise. But it wasn’t all bad.

Wait, there’s a bright spot here?

The start from Miles Mikolas — an oft-injured pitcher St. Louis did not know they could rely on — could be a huge boost to their rotation.

Miles Mikolas: Cardinals bright spot in tough loss to Mets

Mikolas gave up just four hits while walking two in seven innings of scoreless baseball against a good Mets’ team. Unfortunately, the bullpen blew it for him.

Mikolas has posted a 1.21 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB through 22.1 innings so far this season, establishing himself (at least thus far) as one of the more reliable pitchers in the National League. Dare I say, he looks like his 2018 self — the same pitcher that finished the season sixth in Cy Young voting, and made the All-Star team.

The Cards don’t need that version of Mikolas. Heck, they’d settle for a middle of the rotation starter who stays healthy, but anything above that is a huge plus.

So far, so good, for Mikolas, a pitcher many can identify with and root for as he comes back from injury.