Intrigue over Yadier Molina's status

— -- SAN FRANCISCO -- When Yadier Molina doubled over in pain Sunday night, unable even to take a step out of the batter's box, you'd have bet a set of shin guards the next time you'd see him play would be next March in Jupiter, Florida.

But now, as Game 3 of the National League Championship Series approaches Tuesday afternoon at AT&T Park, we have mystery. We have intrigue. We even have an outside shot the Cardinals' catcher/captain/Jedi Master could even play in this game, despite a strained left oblique he said felt like "somebody nailed you with a knife."

We had his manager, Mike Matheny, saying even if Molina can't swing a bat, the Cardinals are contemplating using him "as a weapon to be able to [be] brought in late in the game" just for defense. Hmmm.

And we had Molina's potential replacement in the lineup, A.J. Pierzynski, saying, despite his history of catching Game 3 starter John Lackey in both Boston and St. Louis, he hadn't been given any indication he is starting Tuesday.

So in a postseason that's been overflowing with drama for two weeks, one of the biggest dramas in this NLCS could revolve around the posting of the Cardinals' lineup card Tuesday. Stay tuned!

Amazingly, all of this optimistic talk grew out of a simple game of catch Monday afternoon. Molina didn't attempt to swing a bat during the Cardinals' off-day workout Monday. But he did throw -- and shocked his manager by how effortlessly, and Yadi-like, he was able to do it.

"I didn't think there was any possibility, having that injury myself, knowing how hard it was just to throw," Matheny said. "But he was throwing the ball with some velocity, and ... it was encouraging to see."

It sounded quite bubbly and upbeat, all right. But now that we've got all that positivity out of the way, let's get realistic.

Does anyone come back from a serious oblique injury in 44 hours? Hard to believe. Molina actually admitted himself this is a worse strain than the one he suffered late in spring training 2010. And he was out 11 days with that one.

What's likely is Molina is about to miss his first postseason game in a decade. The most recent Cardinals postseason game in which Molina didn't start behind the plate? Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. The starter that night: A fellow named Mike Matheny.

Since then, Molina has started 83 postseason games in a row. With Derek Jeter moving on to publishing and other pursuits, that's more games than any other active player has started, let alone consecutively.

It's also the longest streak of postseason starts by any catcher in history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It's 15 more than Jorge Posada once started and 28 more than Yogi Berra.

They were 62-48 with him in the regular season, a .564 winning percentage. They were 28-24 (.538) without him. But more telling was that their pitching staff had a 4.01 ERA this year in games Molina didn't catch -- and a 3.24 ERA when he caught.

The dramatic difference in those numbers is a reflection of "the leadership that he brings," Matheny said. "The instincts he has. The way he communicates. One guy in particular that we have all noticed, Carlos Martinez, when he starts to get off track, how quickly Yadi can get him back. And this is something our other catchers can learn.

"But you have a multiple-time Gold Glove catcher that's back there," Matheny went on. "And it's not just about catching and blocking balls and throwing out baserunners. It's about leading a staff. And it's not necessarily something you can just duplicate."

Obviously, the Cardinals still have an excellent chance to win this series. But is it as good a chance as they'd have with a healthy Molina doing his standard Jedi Master thing? Who could argue that?

That's not the only concern these two teams have to contemplate as they get ready to resume the festivities, with this NLCS even at a game apiece. Among the others:

•  TREVOR ROSENTHAL  -- The Cardinals' closer has had a rocky October so far and allowed at least two baserunners in each of his four appearances. The only other relievers to allow two baserunners in at least four consecutive postseason save opportunities: Robb Nen (five in a row from 1997-2002) and Brad Lidge (four in a row from 2005-08). No closer has ever had a streak like that in a single postseason.

•  ADAM WAINWRIGHT  -- Wainwright just threw a bullpen session between starts for the first time in weeks. Although that session was "not exactly electric," according to Wainwright's manager, Matheny said Monday that his ace "feels really good" and, at another point, "he feels great," which is "exciting for us."

Despite that sunny portrayal, Wainwright's pitch selection in Game 1 alone seemed to suggest he isn't himself. Out of 98 pitches, he threw just 19 fastballs, according to PITCHf/x. He has never had a season in which he didn't average at least 40 percent fastballs. And though scouts praised him for keeping the Cardinals in the game, they felt he was clearly laboring for the 4 2/3 innings he pitched. He's scheduled, at the moment, to start Game 5 on Thursday.

•  GIANTS GOPHERBALLS -- On one hand, Giants pitchers have done a spectacular job limiting damage this October, as they have held opponents to an amazing .081 average (3-for-37) with runners in scoring position. On the other hand, they've now allowed eight home runs this postseason. In Game 2, as CSN Bay Area's Andy Baggarly reported, they had four different pitchers serve up homers for the first time since Sept. 9, 2005 (when Matheny was their catcher).

We're used to Giants manager Bruce Bochy regularly finding exactly the right bullpen matchup this time of year. But six of the home runs have been allowed by right-handed relievers Hunter Strickland (4) and Jean Machi (2) -- and all to left-handed hitters. So as much as Bochy loves Strickland's stuff and future, in particular, the manager admitted after Game 2 that "if you have another option, yeah, you may rethink it."

Could that mean Bochy might finally wave for Tim Lincecum, who has yet to throw a pitch this October?

"I'll try to find the right spot for Timmy," Bochy said when asked about that Monday. But he's given precisely the same answer for the past two weeks.

There's probably a better chance Lincecum appears in Game 3 than Yadi Molina. But we won't find out for sure until Tuesday afternoon, when Tim Hudson tees it up against Lackey and a fascinating NLCS resumes.