Cards awaiting MRI results on Molina's knee

ST. LOUIS -- Catcher Yadier Molina left Busch Stadium late in Saturday's game to undergo an MRI exam in an effort to determine the cause of irritation in his right knee. The Cardinals will have the results of those tests by Sunday, but remain optimistic that they won't be without their standout catcher for long.

"He could be good enough to go tomorrow," manager Mike Matheny said after the team's 5-4 win over the Marlins. "We just want to rule things out and get a good look at it."

According to Matheny, Molina's knee began to bother him during the final innings of Friday's game. Molina was ruled unavailable to play on Saturday, though the club did not divulge that information until postgame. The knee that is bothering Molina now is the same one the catcher had operated on in Sept. 2007.

Molina, who has started 78 games as catcher, leads the National League with a .346 batting average. Tony Cruz started in Molina's place on Saturday and finished 1-for-4.