The St. Louis Cardinals are going for a sweep, but they're giving catcher Yadier Molina a day off as they face the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night. The Cardinals slipped by in the first two games of the series, extending their current win streak to five games.
Molina has homered in three consecutive games, so it's pretty obvious that he's not sitting due to some sort of injury or performance-related issue. This is simply a day off for one of the team's most important players, one that happens to play an exceptionally demanding position. Tony Cruz is starting in Molina's place, batting eighth in the order.
Here's the Cardinals' full lineup:
#Cardinals lineup vs Marlins: Furcal SS, Jay CF, Holliday LF, Beltran RF, Freeese 3B, Carpenter 1B, Greene 2B, Cruz C, Kelly P
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 27, 2012
And the Marlins' lineup:
#Marlins lineup vs STL: Reyes SS, Ramirez 3B, Stanton RF, Dobbs LF, Ruggiano CF, Infante 2B, Gaby 1B, Buck C, Anibal P
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 27, 2012
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos and Marlins blog Fish Stripes. For more news and notes from around Major League Baseball, visit Baseball Nation.