Timing is right for Yadi to get hot

ST. LOUIS -- Yadier Molina's 0-for-10 season start seemed like old news by the time the Cardinals sealed a 4-0 win over the Brewers on Thursday. With another two hits in the victory, Molina recorded his third multi-hit performance in five games and perhaps muffled some of the outside curiosity about whether his winter weight loss could result in decreased offensive proficiency.

Molina, 8-for-19 since Saturday, has been in the middle of at least one run-scoring inning in four of the last five games. His RBI single off of Brewers reliever Tyler Thornburg in the eighth on Thursday tacked on the Cardinals' final run and allowed manager Mike Matheny to hold closer Trevor Rosenthal out of the game.

"When you play every day, you're going to get that timing back," Molina said. "Right now, I'm in that process. It's hard to play like that [with all the off-days], but you've got to get used to it and battle every game to try to do the best you can. When you play every day, it's easy for you to get your timing back."

Molina's slow start followed a spring in which he made little offensive noise. The veteran catcher finished 10-for-46 in Grapefruit League play, with one extra-base hit. He has just one extra-base hit in the regular season, but Molina has been making harder contact in recent days. Both of his singles on Thursday were well struck.

As for his weight loss, Molina has little interest in providing more fuel to the topic. He dropped 15-20 pounds in an effort to increase his chances of staying healthy and behind the plate. But could his offensive performance also be affected by the body change?

"I don't feel any different," Molina said. "I feel the same since last year."