Rosenthal missing SF series for birth of child

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Cardinals will be without their All-Star closer for the final leg of this three-city road trip, after Trevor Rosenthal returned to St. Louis on Friday morning to attend the birth of his second daughter.

By putting Rosenthal on the paternity-leave list, the Cards were able to temporarily replace him on the roster with right-hander Sam Tuivailala. This will be Tuivailala's fourth stint with the Major League club this season.

Rosenthal said his wife, Lindsey, was scheduled to be induced into labor Friday. Rosenthal will remain with his family while the club is in San Francisco this weekend, then rejoin the team for the start of a homestand Monday. He left the Cardinlas just two days after becoming the second closer in franchise history to complete multiple 40-save seasons.

In Rosenthal's absence, the Cardinals will have several fill-in closer options from which to choose. Lefty Kevin Siegrist (five saves) and right-hander Seth Maness (three saves) have covered the ninth inning a handful of times this year when Rosenthal has been unavailable. The Cards also have two former full-time closers -- Steve Cishek and Jonathan Broxton -- to call on, if needed.

"[We'll be] just waiting to see what it looks like when we get to the seventh, eighth and ninth and try to put it together so we have the best chance," manager Mike Matheny said.

Video: STL@CWS: Tuivailala snares comebacker to save run

Tuivailala has a 1.80 ERA in 10 appearances with St. Louis this season. He debuted a cutter while with the team in May and has continued to refine the new pitch during his time back in Triple-A Memphis.

"I'm still trying to get the feel for it, but I feel really good about how it's been growing over the year," said Tuivailala, who had a 1.76 ERA and 16 saves in 39 Triple-A games. "I just have to stop thinking too much about it and just throw it."

• Matt Belisle (right elbow inflammation) took another step forward in his rehab work when he threw 30 pitches off the AT&T Park bullpen mound Friday. Belisle estimated he threw most at 75 percent strength before giving about 90 percent effort on the final few. He is hopeful of advancing to throw a live batting practice session soon, likely once the team returns home next week.

• For the first time since rupturing his left Achilles in Milwaukee on April 25, Adam Wainwright joined the Cardinals on a road trip. He met the team in San Francisco in part so he could participate in the Big League Impact fantasy football event that took place at AT&T Park on Friday. Hunter Pence served as the local host for Wainwright's league-wide charity initiative.

• Jon Jay (left wrist stress reaction) met up with the Triple-A Memphis club in Reno, Nev., on Friday and is expected to begin his Minor League rehab assignment there Saturday.