On Friday, July 28, 2017, there was a public dust-up between Mike Matheny and his star catcher, Yadier Molina. Matheny implied Molina was tired, and Molina took exception to that. The Cardinals were 50-52 at the time, in third place, and 4 1/2 games out of first place in the division. With their ninth eighth win in a row Saturday night, the Cardinals are 11-4 since the dust up, and now in a virtual tie for first place in the division with the Cubs. The team is hitting well in that time, scoring 5.5 runs per game, Molina supplying plenty of power. Dexter Fowler returning to the fold and playing well didn’t hurt, but I’m going to give Matheny some credit here for a shrewd move. Molina is a leader on the team, a franchise player, and if Matheny can call out Molina, no one is safe. It may have taken a few days, but the Cardinals are now playing up to their abilities.