The Cardinals surely have their fingers crossed right now, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Yadier Molina is out of tonight’s lineup against the Rockies due to a sprained right thumb and is scheduled to undergo X-rays when the team returns home to St. Louis tomorrow.
Molina injured the thumb in an awkward slide into first base last night. He’s currently dealing with some swelling, which is naturally making it difficult for him to throw or hit. More should be known following the examination tomorrow.
Molina took a huge leap forward offensively last year and he has been even better this year, batting .310/.359/.506 with 16 home runs, 52 RBI and an .856 OPS in 91 games played. The 30-year-old backstop has also thrown out 44 percent of attempted basestealers (20-for-45), which leads all major league catchers. An extended absence would be a tough blow for the Cards, who enter play tonight 7 1/2 games behind the Reds in the National League Central and three games back in the Wild Card race.