The St. Louis Cardinals are gearing up for an exhibition matchup against the Kansas City Royals Wednesday at Busch Stadium. Miles Mikolas and Carlos Martínez are expected to pitch. Manager Mike Shildt said that Mikolas will likely start. The Cards hope the pair can cover the entire game, but they will have relievers ready if needed.
Anthony Rizzo is optimistic he will be ready for Opening Day on Friday. The Chicago Cubs first baseman is dealing with a nagging back issue. He went through a full workout before the Cubs’ exhibition against the cross town White Sox last night without any restrictions or setbacks. Rizzo has been sidelined by lower-back tightness since July 7th.