The St. Louis Cardinals were optimistic that Yadier Molina's injuries weren't as bad as they looked following the home-plate collision that knocked him out of their ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday, and it's a good thing—they don't have much backing up their MVP-caliber catcher. Day-to-day they can do—Tony Cruz and Bryan Anderson, due up from Memphis, might be a little better than replacement level. Any more than that, though, and—get well soon.

Cruz has walked all of two times in 2012—that says a lot about how healthy and hardy Yadier Molina has been, but it also says a lot about Cruz's offense, which is best described as backup-catchery. Bryan Anderson, his left-handed opposite number, was supposed to be the antidote, but after just missing the backup job out of spring training he's put up the worst numbers of his career in AAA Memphis. (He's joining the team Wednesday, if you drew the same conclusions I did from this Joe Strauss tweet.)

That sounds like two backup catchers who might, if everything breaks right, form a platoon somewhere just north of replacement level. If the Cardinals are going to be without Yadier Molina for more than 15 days it might be time to ask him what Bengie's doing.