ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals will kick off their postseason Thursday against the Braves with their Opening Day starter, Miles Mikolas, on the mound, the club announced Tuesday. The Braves announced that they will start left-hander Dallas Keuchel. Mikolas was the likely candidate to get the Game 1 start after

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals will kick off their postseason Thursday against the Braves with their Opening Day starter, Miles Mikolas , on the mound, the club announced Tuesday. The Braves announced that they will start left-hander Dallas Keuchel .

Mikolas was the likely candidate to get the Game 1 start after the Cardinals had to use Jack Flaherty on Sunday to clinch the National League Central title. Flaherty will start Game 2 on Friday, and Adam Wainwright will start Game 3 on Sunday.

Mikolas had a breakout 2018 campaign that led him to 18 wins, a 2.83 ERA and a four-year extension with the Cardinals in the offseason. The 31-year-old struggled with inconsistency this year, but he showed flashes of his '18 dominance and will make his first postseason start after going 9-14 with a 4.16 ERA in the regular season.

Mikolas hasn’t pitched since Sept. 22, when he allowed one earned run in 7 2/3 innings to finish a four-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field that clinched a playoff spot for St. Louis.

The right-hander held the Braves to three runs in seven innings back in May, despite the Cardinals’ loss. Mikolas has a 2.61 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the Braves.

Braves left-handed slugger Freddie Freeman has hurt Mikolas the most, with a 1.264 OPS in 10 at-bats. Catcher Francisco Cervelli, who could come off the Braves’ bench, is hitting .313 against Mikolas in 16 at-bats. Left-handers are batting .284/.336/.448 against Mikolas, while right-handers have a .261/.288/.451 slash line against him.

The Cardinals haven’t faced Keuchel since 2016, but Paul Goldschmidt (3-for-18) has the most experience with the veteran left-hander. Yadier Molina and Marcell Ozuna are both hitting .400 (2-for-5) against Keuchel.

St. Louis has fared better recently against left-handers, with a .755 OPS this season and .803 OPS since Aug. 1. With a right-handed-heavy lineup, they face far more righties than lefties. Right-handers are hitting .281/.353/.442 against Keuchel this year, while left-handers have been limited to .189/.268/.351.