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Yadier Molina is not in the St. Louis Cardinals starting lineup for Game 4 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.
Molina was set to be in the lineup, but Cardinals manager Mike Matheny decided to sit the 33-year-old because of the ongoing pain in his thumb. Tony Cruz will get his first start of the postseason in Molina’s place. The injury forced him to miss the last two weeks of the season.
"Still considerable weakness in his hand," Matheny says of Molina. #cardinals #NLDS
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) October 13, 2015
Matheny said there’s “still considerable weakness in his hand,” when talking about Molina’s injury. The seven-time All-Star and Gold Glover left Game 3 in the sixth inning after he felt discomfort when swinging the bat in the fourth inning.
The Cubs currently have a 2-1 series lead and could close out the NLDS with a victory on Tuesday. It’s a must-win for St. Louis. Matheny said that Molina could be used off the bench if the team needs him.
"This is an injury that really relies on rest, and after the season, everything will be kind of addressed to the severity," Matheny told reporters, according to ESPN. "At this point, the doctors are comfortable if he can tolerate it. But it's just really difficult to swing the bat, and if we get an opportunity to play beyond today, a little bit of rest, a couple days of rest may do wonders and we see him back."
