Cardinals C Molina leaves game with sprained thumb

ST. LOUIS (AP) — All-Star catcher Yadier Molina has been removed from the St. Louis Cardinals’ game against Pittsburgh in the third inning with a sprained right thumb. The team said the injury will be re-evaluated Thursday. A trainer attended to Molina on the field Wednesday night after he slid feet first into third base in the second inning. Molina remained in the game and caught the top of the third before he was lifted for pinch-hitter Tony Cruz in the bottom half.Cruz then replaced Molina behind the plate.Molina was voted to his sixth straight NL All-Star team Sunday and is a starter for the fourth time. He doubled in the second inning and was hitting .287 with seven homers and 30 RBIs.

CARDINALS-KELLY

Kelly set to return to Cardinals rotation

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly is set to return to the rotation Friday from a hamstring injury that’s sidelined him nearly three months. Kelly was injured running to first on April 17. He’s 1-1 with an 0.59 ERA in three starts heading into the start in Milwaukee and was 10-5 last year with a 2.69 ERA. The right-hander is one of three starters on the 15-day disabled list. Michael Wacha is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his pitching shoulder sustained in mid-June and lefty Jaime Garcia will undergo season-ending thoracic outlet surgery on Friday in St. Louis to relieve nerve issues that caused numbness and tingling in his shoulder, arm and hand resulting in a loss of feel for his pitches. Lefty Kevin Siegrist was set to begin a minor rehab stint from a forearm strain that landed him on the DL on May 24.