Jaime Garcia Officially Shut Down For Season

After some waffling back and forth on the point earlier this month the St. Louis Cardinals have announced that they won't, in fact, be giving Jaime Garcia any more starts this season. Joe Strauss broke the news.

Garcia hasn't shown many signs of really wearing down, but he has exceeded his 2009 innings-pitched total by an incredible 120 innings. After a strange moment where it seemed like the Cardinals were going to just take his word for it after announcing he wouldn't pitch again, Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan appear to have put the team's collective foot down, and that's probably a good thing.

Yadier Molina Shut Down For Season With Knee Swelling

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina will miss the remainder of the 2010 season with knee swelling, reports Rick Hummell. 

Molina was sent home earlier in the week for an MRI, which revealed the problem. Rookies Matt Pagnozzi and Bryan Anderson will split time in September. 

St. Louis Cardinals Infielder Felipe Lopez Released

What looked like the bargain signing of the offseason will end a few weeks early—St. Louis Cardinals infielder Felipe Lopez has been released, following what the club suggests was a pattern of tardiness that set a poor example for the team's September call-ups. 

Rick Hummel captures the weird combination of punitive and conciliatory messages coming from the front office. GM John Mozeliak suggests that it has to do with "the message" the Cardinals want younger players to hear but also says "it was pretty clear he wasn't going to get the at-bats." 

Of course, this all might have gone away if Lopez, who's clubhoused his way off teams in the past, had hit at all. In the second half he's struggled to a line of .183/.278/.262; his defense at third base was listless enough to occasion the Cardinals' trade for Pedro Feliz. 

With Lopez off the roster younger infielders like Tyler Greene and September call-up Daniel Descalso figure to see more time in the lineup.