MILWAUKEE _ When Miles Mikolas took his show on the road last year, he could take it anywhere. The right-hander, in his first season as a Cardinals pitcher, went 10-0 on the road, becoming only the third pitcher in major league history to have 10 or more road wins and no losses in a season.
A similar streak won't be happening this year. Mikolas was staked to a 3-0 lead in the second inning on back-to-back homers by Kolten Wong, who had two homers for the day, and Harrison Bader. But Mikolas couldn't keep it in the ballpark himself and suffered a 5-4 loss to the Brewers in the 2019 season opener.
Mikolas, who had been 2-0 at Miller Park, gave up three homers in five innings Thursday, including one to opposing pitcher Jhoulys Chacin and a three-run drive by 2018 National League Most Valuable Player Christian Yelich, who erased a Cardinals lead in the third inning.
The Cardinals had just five hits off three Milwaukee pitchers and none off left-handed relief Josh Hader, who worked the final two innings, striking out the side in the eighth with a dizzying display of 97 mph sizzling fastballs as sun mixed with shade at Miller Park.
But Hader had some help in the ninth as Milwaukee center fielder Lorenzo Cain went to the top of the right-center-field wall to steal a potential homer by pinch-hitter Jose Martinez _ who was batting for Wong _ for the final out of the game.
Paul Goldschmidt, previously a .420 batsman at Miller Park in his career, struck out three times and walked in his first game as a Cardinal. Paul DeJong also whiffed three times. The only non-homers that were hits were singles by Bader and Marcell Ozuna.
