Yadier Molina Injury: Tony Cruz Finishes Cubs Series As Molina Sits

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has been frustrated with a lower back injury suffered on Saturday night against the Chicago Cubs, and in all likelihood it'll be "a few more days" before he can return, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:

"We have to wait. We'll go from there. I'm not really concerned. I'm a little worried because any time your back hurts or spasms you worry about it. It's better to take one or two days off and then finish strong."

Tony Cruz replaced Molina on Saturday and filled in for him on Sunday, the series finale against Chicago. Cruz went 1-for-3 for Molina, who has batted .319 and hit 20 home runs this season.

Molina injured his back while trying to avoid an inside pitch against the Cubs, and manager Mike Matheny pulled his starting catcher from the game in the middle of the at-bat, much to the disapproval of Molina.

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Yadier Molina Injury Doesn't Seem Serious After Scary Start

After initial reports indicated Yadier Molina had suffered an oblique injury in the ninth inning of the Cardinals' Saturday game against the Chicago Cubs, the team is now saying the injury is not nearly as serious as initially feared. Molina left Saturday's game in the ninth inning after attempting to avoid an inside pitch. After the game, the team reported Molina was suffering from back spasms, and reports have only improved from there. As St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz reported Saturday night, the team is encouraged but remains cautious:

Matheny says trainers are "encouraged" by Molina condition. Will evaluate him again tomorrow morning.

— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) September 22, 2012

With the Cardinals holding a thin 2 ½-game lead for the National League's second wild card spot, any long-term injury to Molina could be devastating. The three-time Gold Glove-winning catcher is hitting .319 on the season with a career-high 20 home runs and 70 RBI.

The Cardinals, which have won five of their last six games, return to action Sunday afternoon in the final game of a three-game set against the Cubs.

For more on the Cardinals, visit Viva El Birdos. Baseball Nation is the place to go for news and analysis from around the league.

Yadier Molina Injury: Apparent Good News As Cardinals Cite Back Spasms, Not A Strained Oblique

A Yadier Molina injury is almost unequivocally the worst thing that could happen to the St. Louis Cardinals as this Wild Card race shambles toward the end of September, and in their Saturday afternoon game vs. the Chicago Cubs it briefly looked like Molina had strained his oblique dodging an inside pitch from Carlos Marmol. The Cardinals are still being cagey about the injury's seriousness, but it's been labeled immediately as "back spasms," a potentially minor issue compared to the O-word Twitter was nervously bandying about.

Yadier Molina left with lower back spasms, per the #Cardinals trainers and officials.

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) September 22, 2012

Molina appeared to grab at his side before frustratedly leaving the game in mid-at-bat. Tony Cruz filled in immediately, hitting a long but ultimately harmless drive to center field on zero notice. Without Molina, the Cardinals would be heavily reliant on Cruz, Bryan Anderson, and Steven Hill, which is not quite the same as having the best all-around player in the National League in front of the umpire four games out of five.

Stay tuned to this storystream for more updates on Molina; as soon as we have them, we'll relay them right here. And then, hopefully, exhale for the first time in about a half-an-hour.

A Yadier Molina Injury Would Leave St. Louis Cardinals With Limited Catcher Options

Yadier Molina Injury: Cardinals Catcher Leaves Game In 9th After Appearing To Tweak Oblique

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina left Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs with an apparent oblique injury. Molina was hurt trying to get out of the way of a Carlos Marmol fastball with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, with the game tied at 4.

It first appeared that Molina would stay in the game, as he stood near the batters box with his bat still in hand for several minutes. However, manager Mike Matheny and the team trainer walked off the field with Molina, who had already driven in a run in the ballgame.

Molina was 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the game, but is hitting .319 with 20 home runs and 69 runs batted in on the season.

Tony Cruz pinch-hit for Molina with the count at one ball and no strikes, and proceeded to flyout to deep centerfield to end the inning.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to visit Viva El Birdos. Additional coverage on the Cubs can be found at Bleed Cubbie Blue, while Baseball Nation is the place to go for news and analysis from around the league.