Yadier Molina

With Mark McGwire leaving to become the hitting coach of the Dodgers, John Mabry appears to be his likely successor in the same role with the Cardinals.

Mabry spent the 2012 season as the Cardinals assistant hitting coach. He also spent the majority of his playing career with the club and is a longtime friend and confidant of manager Mike Matheny.

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire has informed the club that he intends to accept a similar position with the Dodgers.

Yadier Molina won his fifth straight National League Gold Glove award at catcher Tuesday.

Molina is arguably the most valuable defensive player in baseball and an obvious choice again this year. He beat out the Diamondbacks’ Miguel Montero and the Phillies’ Carlos Ruiz for the award.

Yadier Molina (back) returned to the Cardinals’ starting lineup Monday against the Astros.

Molina got the day off Sunday after leaving Saturday’s game in the ninth inning due to back spasms. He may not be 100 percent, but he’s not going to sit with the Cards fighting for a playoff spot.

Yadier Molina reported Sunday that his back is feeling better than expected.

He’s not in the lineup, but it sounds like he’ll have a shot to return Monday. Molina exited Saturday’s game in the ninth inning due to lower back spasms.

Yadier Molina (back) is not in the Cardinals’ lineup Sunday.

Molina left in the ninth inning of Saturday’s game due to lower back spasms. He’s considered day-to-day. Carlos Beltran is also out of the lineup a day after hitting a game-tying homer in the ninth. Tony Cruz is behind the plate, while Matt Carpenter is playing right field.

The Cardinals have announced that Yadier Molina was pulled from Saturday’s game in the ninth inning due to lower back spasms.

Molina jack-knifed out of the way to avoid being hit by a Carlos Marmol fastball. He wanted to remain in the game, and was visibly upset when manager Mike Matheny removed him. He’ll likely sit on Sunday as well as a precautionary measure, but it doesn’t appear to be an injury that would sideline him for an extended period of time.

Yadier Molina left Saturday’s game in the middle of an at-bat in the ninth inning, after he injured himself trying to get our of the way of an inside fastball from Carlos Marmol.

It’s hard to say at this point what exactly he tweaked, but Molina has dealt with back issues on and off this season. He clearly wanted to remain in the game, and slammed his bat in anger after his manager escorted him off the field.

Yadier Molina finished 2-for-3 with a home run Wednesday in the Cardinals’ 5-0 win over the Astros.

Molina blasted a solo shot to deep center in the fourth inning and singled in the sixth. The best defensive catcher in baseball is now batting .324/.382/.513 with 20 dingers and 68 RBI in 127 games played this season. He’s a legitimate MVP candidate in the National League.