Molina scratched from Game 4; Baez starts for ailing Russell
Despite leaving Monday's 8-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs early with renewed pain in his left thumb, Yadier Molina was scheduled to be behind the plate for the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, with his team facing elimination.
Molina, however, was a late scratch from the contest on Tuesday afternoon, and will be replaced by Tony Cruz in the lineup.
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Carpenter (L) | 3B |
| 2 | Stephen Piscotty | 1B |
| 3 | Matt Holliday | LF |
| 4 | Jason Heyward (L) | RF |
| 5 | Jhonny Peralta | SS |
| 6 | Randal Grichuk | CF |
| 7 | Kolten Wong (L) | 2B |
| 8 | Tony Cruz | C |
| 9 | John Lackey | P |
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told reporters there was "still considerable weakness in (Molina's) hand."
Though Molina has started every NLDS game thus far, the seven-time All-Star has struggled at the plate, going just 1-for-8 (.125) with a pair of strikeouts. He was lifted for pinch-hitter Brandon Moss in the top of the sixth in Game 3.
Matheny also opted to start Randal Grichuk in center field after watching the 24-year-old collect hits as a late-game replacement in each of the last two games. Grichuk, batting sixth, managed an .877 OPS (134 OPS+) with 17 homers and 23 doubles in 103 games as a rookie this season.
The Cubs, meanwhile, will vie for a spot in the National League Championship Series without shortstop Addison Russell, who was omitted from the lineup after leaving Game 3 in the fourth inning with tightness in his left hamstring. Javier Baez, the 22-year-old who collected his first two postseason hits in Monday's victory, will start at shortstop in lieu of Russell.
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dexter Fowler (S) | CF |
| 2 | Jorge Soler | RF |
| 3 | Kris Bryant | 3B |
| 4 | Anthony Rizzo (L) | 1B |
| 5 | Starlin Castro | 2B |
| 6 | Kyle Schwarber (L) | LF |
| 7 | Miguel Montero (L) | C |
| 8 | Jason Hammel | P |
| 9 | Javier Baez | SS |
Jason Hammel, meanwhile, will make his fourth career postseason start - and his first since 2012 - when he takes the mound at Wrigley Field. The 33-year-old right-hander fashioned a 3.74 ERA (104 ERA+) in 31 starts this season, but fared better on the road than he did in Chicago.
On Monday, the Cubs established a new postseason record by blasting six home runs against the Cardinals, powering their way to a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five matchup.