Cards expect Molina to be disciplined for antics

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals are expecting Yadier Molina to be disciplined for his antics.

After the catcher was ejected for complaining about a ball called on Milwaukee's Corey Hart during the fifth inning of an 8-3 loss Monday night, Molina protested by taking off his gear and leaving it in a pile at the feet of plate umpire Paul Schrieber.

"We'll hear something," manager Tony La Russa said Tuesday before the Cardinals began a six-game homestand. "It's not going to go unnoticed."

Molina, the youngest of three catching brothers in the major leagues, declined to revisit the matter.

"Well, I thought it was a pretty good show," said pitching coach Dave Duncan, a former catcher who said he was never ejected during his playing career.

Duncan thought Schrieber did a good overall job on ball-strike calls, but that Molina was set off by some calls that went against the Cardinals in key situations. The first-pitch call to Hart came two batters after Ryan Braun homered.

The quick ejection -- La Russa was coming out to the plate when Molina was tossed -- caught the rest of the team off-guard.

"I was surprised there was not more patience because he's established a reputation," La Russa said. "That's one of the things Paul admitted when I went out there. Yaddy has established a reputation as being somebody umpires like to work with, and he's not confrontational. He got warned once, and the second time he was thrown out, and that's unusual for a guy with that reputation."

Johnson to have surgery

Cardinals left-handed reliever Tyler Johnson, sidelined since spring training by a shoulder injury, will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday.

The 26-year-old Johnson was 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA in 2007, his first full season in the majors. He was part of a surprisingly eff

Johnson was the Cardinals' top lefty reliever last year, with Randy Flores working in a secondary role.

-- AP