Can Cards win without Molina?
— -- ST. LOUIS -- The outcome of the National League Championship Series may have been determined by one swing in Sunday night's dramatic Game 2, series-tying 5-4 victory by the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Francisco Giants.
No, it's wasn't the ninth-inning, game-winning home run swing by Kolten Wong. It was the swing that sent all-world catcher Yadier Molina to the showers three innings earlier. Molina stood bent over at home plate after hitting a ground ball that was easily turned into a double play. He left the game moments later and the official diagnosis was a strained oblique.
Now what do the Cardinals do?
After already dealing with a less-than-sharp Adam Wainwright this postseason, they may have just lost the heart and soul of their team. The outlook for Molina moving forward isn't good.
"I'm not optimistic," general manager John Mozeliak said after the game.
"We'll wait and see," manager Mike Matheny added. "If we have to go short with an opportunity to have him back, we'd do that. But we will cross that bridge when we get to it."
The Cardinals might have a tough decision to make. If Molina is taken off the roster for the rest of the NLCS then he wouldn't be eligible to play in the World Series. If the Cardinals keep him on the roster they would have to play a man short until he's healthy again. Don't count on good news coming if you're a Cardinals fan as oblique injuries usually take weeks not days to heal.
"You can't say enough about what he does for our team," third baseman Matt Carpenter said. "The way he handles our pitching staff and the leader that he is. It's disappointing not having him out there. It's not ideal."
The less experienced Tony Cruz took Molina's place in the game and promptly became part of the action as a ninth-inning wild pitch led to the tying run when Matt Duffy scored from second base. Cruz had exactly two career postseason at-bats before entering the game on Sunday. Molina had 307 when he left. But that doesn't mean his teammates don't have confidence in the 27 year-old.
"That's Yadier junior calling the game," reliever Pat Neshek said of Cruz with a smile. "He can do it."
And Carpenter reminded everyone that the Cardinals played a portion of the season without Molina due to a thumb injury. They went 21-19 throughout July and August while he was on the shelf. That's not bad.
Matheny admitted the dugout got quiet when their leader went down but it didn't last long as Wong's heroics staved off any negative vibes, at least for a while.
"Whenever something like this happens, once again we talked about this earlier in the season when we had some trades made," Matheny explained.
"These guys, they care about each other and that's part of why we see the resiliency that we see. Tony Cruz jumped in and did a nice job and the young hitters came up and figured out a way to get it done."
That was for one night. They still have to win three more games. While Cruz took over for Molina, the Cardinals could also turn to veteran A.J. Pierzynski. The noted agitator was picked up in July and feels comfortable enough if called upon. He already helped Wainwright with a mechanical flaw and gave advice to Wong before his winning hit.
"Whatever they need me to do I'm ready for," Pierzynski said. "I've been here three months. I hope I'm comfortable by now."
Can the Cardinals really win the series if Molina can't return?
That question will undoubtedly be tested in San Francisco over the next three games. Matheny wasn't revealing any strategy just yet as he'll have the rest of the off-day Monday and all day Tuesday to figure things out. With John Lackey on the mound in Game 3, he could easily start Pierzynski behind the plate as the two were teammates earlier this season in Boston.
Then again, Cruz played the bulk of those games that Molina missed, appearing in 50 before the playoffs. Plus, in three starts with Cruz behind the plate Lackey's ERA was 2.25 this year.
"We've been fighting all year," Cruz said casually. "I know our pitchers pretty well."
No matter what kind of glass-half-full approach the Cardinals take, no matter what kind of combination of Cruz and Pierzynski they use, it can't come close to replacing Molina. And who knows, maybe he'll return.
"I do have to say we have one of the toughest human beings I have ever seen that we're talking about right now," Matheny said. "And I am not going to jump to conclusions. It's just not fair. I do know that if there's any chance, if there is anybody that could play with any injury it would be Yadi."
With Molina, the series might go down to the wire. Without him, the Giants become the prohibitive favorites. That's not to take anything away from anyone else on the Cardinals, but the fact is Molina is that valuable.
"He's as tough as nails," Neshek said. "But we can survive this."
Can they?
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