The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the San Francisco Giants in Game 2 of the NLCS to even the series, but they may have suffered a significant loss after catcher Yadier Molina strained his oblique and left the game early.
Despite the injury, the Cardinals plan to keep Molina on the active roster for the NLCS in hopes that he'll be able to make a swift recovery. The catcher was able to throw on Monday, but hasn't tried swinging a bat just yet. He also met with team doctors and medical staff at AT&T Park to receive treatment for the injury, which involved ice and medication.
As an insurance policy, St. Louis added catcher A.J. Pierzynski to their NLCS roster in case Molina's injury keeps him out for the remainder of the series. They also have Tony Cruz, who they prefer as Molina's backup, but John Lackey will be starting Game 3 and Pierzynski has caught him numerous times this year when the two were in Boston. Although the team is being optimistic with Molina, it's certainly likely his season could be finished.
"It's like somebody nails you with a knife," Molina said of the injury, in this ESPN article. "It's a tough thing."
"Ultimately, that's where everything rotates around," said Greg Hauck, the Cardinals' head athletic trainer, in this MLB.com article. "Quite often with players, that is the weak link. That's where you have to pivot or rotate around, whether you're throwing, hitting or anything. That creates a lot of issues when that's injured."
The fact that Molina is a catcher and one of the team's best hitters doesn't help his cause for returning early from such an injury. He's constantly using that part of his body, whether it involves throwing the ball back to the pitcher, throwing out runners on the base path, or stepping into the batter's box. Recovery from oblique injuries is completely dependent on the severity of the strain and the player's ability to heal. And if Molina said it feels like a knife, that isn't too promising in regards to the severity of the injury.
St. Louis has yet to disclose whether Molina sustained a mild (stretched), moderate (partial tear) or severe (complete tear or rupture) oblique strain, likely to keep the Giants in the dark about his availability. If he has a moderate or severe strain, it's almost a foregone conclusion that his season is finished.
But if you're a Cardinals' fan, Yahoo! Sports writer Tim Brown provides hope for the team's chances without Molina.
