Charity work, singing lessons had a hand in Waino’s decision to return to Cardinals

Jumping ahead….

The 2020 season is also the last covered under the contract of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, whose close relationship with Wainwright has led each to describe the other as a brother at various times. Wainwright said Tuesday that he and Molina hadn’t had any formal conversations about “riding off into the sunset upon retirement,” before hastily adding that his daughter Macee is planning for a future which includes the two families sharing one oversized roof.

Sources have intimated that Molina may be seeking an extension to his contract and would likely be willing to accept a pay cut from his current $20 million-per-year salary in order to complete such a deal.

If Molina does sign an extension in St. Louis, it’s unclear whether Wainwright would plan to join him for 2021 or beyond. Wainwright joked Tuesday that his representation approached the Cardinals about a guaranteed six-year pact but conceded that “at the moment we are going year to year and with the likelihood of this probably being it.”

He added, “but who knows how those things work, man?”

Seems a bit optimistic, doesn’t it?

 The Cooperstown Case for Yadier Molina, Russell Martin, and Brian McCann - The Ringer

Isn’t this a little early for Hall of Fame discussions? The World Series isn’t over yet.

Molina, Hamels spark benches-clearing fracas at Cards-Cubs

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals star Yadier Molina shouted at Cubs left-hander Cole Hamels after being grazed by a fastball, leading the benches and bullpens to clear Saturday night.

Molina was awarded first base in the second inning after Hamels’ 91 mph pitch clipped his left arm. He took a few steps toward first and stared at Hamels, then began barking at him and walked toward the mound. Cubs catcher Jonathan Lucroy stepped between Molina and Hamels while they jawed, and St. Louis teammate Matt Carpenter dragged Molina away while players poured onto the field.

No punches were thrown and no warnings or ejections issued following the standoff.

Feels like a waste at this point in the season, but what do I know?

LEADING OFF: Braves streaking, Harper hurting, Arizona rolls

HOME OF THE BRAVES

Josh Donaldson and the Atlanta Braves have won nine in a row, their best string since 2014. The NL East leaders also have taken 13 straight at SunTrust Park.

Donaldson hit his 36th home run in a 5-4 win over Washington on Saturday night. He has 28 homers since June 11. The Nationals have lost four in a row and lead the NL wild-card race by two games over the Cubs.

Nationals ace Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.60 ERA) tries to end Atlanta’s streaks. He makes his fourth straight start since returning from back trouble — the three-time Cy Young Award winner has no decisions and a 4.66 ERA in his last four outings.

Well, here’s as good a place as any to discuss the current shape of the playoff hunt- how do we expect it will shake out?

LEADING OFF: Indians minus Ramírez, Paxton-Sheffield

MAKE DO

José Ramírez’s regular season is over. The postseason remains in play — if the Indians can make it without him.

Cleveland’s hard-hitting third baseman is expected to need five to seven weeks to recover after underdoing hand surgery. Ramírez, whose hot bat the past two months helped get the Indians back into playoff contention, fractured the hamate bone in his right hand while taking a hard swing Saturday.

The team estimates he could be back as early as Oct. 1, when the AL playoffs open. Rookie Yu Chang and Mike Freeman will fill the spot in his absence.

At what point do the Indians regret basically punting free agency this season?

‘(Expletive) play!’ Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina rips play that injured Jonathan Lucroy | USAT

Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy was sent to the hospital Sunday as the result of a collision in a play at the plate with the Houston Astros’ Jake Marisnick.

Lucroy got a CT scan and was being evaluated for a possible concussion as well as broken nose, the Angels said. Despite the violent nature of the incident, the play reignited debate online regarding MLB’s play-at-the-plate rules (Marisnick was called out for the collision).

Longtime St. Louis Cardinals star Yadier Molina was one of the many voices who weighed in on the play, and he was not happy to see a fellow catcher get leveled in such brutal fashion. He let his anger for Marisnick and the situation at-large known in a profanity-laced post on his verified Instagram account.