ST. LOUIS -- The status of Garrett Cooper is unclear as the 28-year-old first baseman was removed from Thursday’s game due to left triceps tightness.

Cooper was replaced by Yadiel Rivera in the fifth inning of Miami’s 7-6 victory over the Cardinals in 11 innings at Busch Stadium.

“With Coop, it’s that same triceps again,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It tightened up on him. We'll see. We'll probably have to do some type of testing now.”

The Marlins split their four games at St. Louis and open a three-game series at Philadelphia on Friday. If Cooper isn’t available, the club may have to make a roster move.

Before being taken out, Cooper extended his career-high hitting streak to 12 games with a double in the fourth inning.

The 28-year-old, who has been a steady contributor at the plate, was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday due to triceps soreness.

Cooper was shaken up, but remained in the game, on Tuesday when he crashed into the rolled-up tarp while making a catch on Yadier Molina’s foul ball in the second inning. The tarp is stationed at the wall on the first-base side.

Cooper banged up his right leg on the play, but he also tweaked his left triceps while bracing himself. He took batting practice on Wednesday, but shortly before the game started, he was scratched.

Mattingly said he was informed early in the afternoon Thursday that Cooper said he was ready to play in the series finale.

Along with his 12-game hit streak, he has a string of 17 straight games reaching base.

Cooper is hitting .313 after going 1-for-2 with a double and a run on Thursday. He has six home runs and 21 RBIs.

In the ninth inning, catcher Jorge Alfaro was replaced by Bryan Holaday. Alfaro took a swing off the back of the head from Marcell Ozuna, and also a foul ball off the face mask. He was evaluated for a possible concussion.

Mattingly sounded optimistic that Alfaro will be fine.

“Everything was good when he came out of the game,” Mattingly said. “He may be a little sore or something. He got hit with the bat, and caught a foul tip. We think he's OK.”