If you watched yesterday\u2019s game, one thing stuck out like a sore thumb, and that was the ineffectiveness of Miles Mikolas. After two great innings to start the game, the veteran got tattooed, allowing a club record 11 earned runs. That begs the question, how long will Blake Butera and Paul Toboni stick with the veteran right hander?<\/p>\n
Hopes were not very high when the Nats signed Mikolas on a one-year deal. Over the last three seasons, Mikolas had posted<\/a> a 4.98 ERA in 98 starts. Now, the right hander was a year older and playing in front of a worse infield defense. The signing was a bit curious, but hey it was just a one-year deal and Mikolas has been a known innings eater.<\/p>\n Nats fans knew Mikolas would have some outings that weren\u2019t great, but the hope was that he could deliver some quality starts and go five to six innings each time. So far, we have only seen the bad. In Mikolas\u2019 defense, he has faced two high powered lineups that have owned him in the past. I also did not think he was that bad in his first outing, he was just hurt by his defense.<\/p>\n However, the overall results have been ugly so far. Mikolas has allowed<\/a> 17 runs and 15 earned runs in his first 9.1 innings. There are innings where Mikolas hits his spots and looks good, but the margin for error is so small for the veteran. When he misses his spots, he gets absolutely clobbered.<\/p>\n That is due to a lack of pure stuff. Mikolas has never had great stuff, but in his first two starts this year, the stuff looks diminished. At 37 years old, this should not be much of a surprise. His already hittable 4-seam fastball went<\/a> from 93 MPH to 91.9 MPH so far this season. Mikolas does not have the secondary pitches or deception to make up for this velocity loss. He is just a sitting duck when he is not perfect with his command.<\/p>\n In 2026, the average fastball<\/a> from a righty starter is over 95 MPH. Stuff is better than ever, which makes Mikolas an easy target for these hitters so used to high velocity heaters. When Mikolas was at his best in 2018 and 2022, his 4-seam fastball averaged <\/a>94.1 and 93.5 MPH respectively. He has never been a guy with put away secondary pitches, so he has needed to rely on the fastball.<\/p>\n Right now, the fastball just is not there. While Blake Butera heavily indicated that Mikolas will be making his next start, if this continues much longer, it will be time for uncomfortable conversations. The Nats do not have a shortage of options at the AAA level right now.<\/p>\n