Fernando Salas, Jason Motte and Octavio Dotel are all unavailable for Friday's game against the Reds. All have been used heavily over the past few days, so they'll get a breather Friday. Needless to say, the Cardinals are hoping for a long outing from Chris Carpenter.

Fernando Salas notched his first save since August 11 in St. Louis' 2-1 win over the Brewers on Tuesday. After Marc Rzepczynski walked Prince Fielder to lead off the ninth, Salas walked Casey McGehee before retiring Yuniesky Betancourt on a failed sacrifice bunt. He then induced Mark Kotsay into a game-ending double play. By all indications, Salas is still the primary stopper in St. Louis, but with the Cardinals out of the race in the National League Central, it wouldn't be surprising to see them mix in Jason Motte more and more as they play out the string.

Fernando Salas blew his second save opportunity in his last three outings Monday against the Dodgers. This was his fifth blown save and fifth loss of the year. It was far from a typical blown save. Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa sent starter Chris Carpenter out in the ninth with a 1-0 lead and the veteran plunked lead-off hitter Juan Rivera. He was relieved by Arthur Rhodes, who struck out Andre Ethier. La Russa went to Salas, who gave up a triple to Aaron Miles to score the tying run. Salas was then yanked for Jason Motte, who induced a grounder to shortstop Rafael Furcal, who couldn't beat Miles home on the throw. Salas has allowed only two runs since July 21, so we're not at all concerned with his job security.

Fernando Salas saved his 22nd game in Thursday's win over the Brewers. Salas struck out two and got a pop-up in the clean inning. He may not have prototypical closer stuff, but Salas has been rock-solid for the Redbirds this season, sporting a 2.24 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 58/14 K/BB ratio over 56 1/3 innings while converting 22 of 25 save chances.

Cardinals closer Fernando Salas has not allowed a run in seven consecutive relief appearances. The 26-year-old has experienced his fair share of hiccups since taking over ninth inning duties from Ryan Franklin, but Salas boasts a sparkling 2.28 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 55 1/3 total innings. He also has a 56/14 K/BB ratio. The Cards will be in good hands down the stretch.

Fernando Salas notched his 18th save in Friday's win over the Pirates. Salas has had a rough road trip, serving up walk-off blasts in Cincinnati and New York, but he had a rather uneventful ninth inning Friday, getting around a one-out Mike McKenry single while also notching a strikeout. He's converted 18 of 21 chances this season.

Closer Fernando Salas took the loss in St. Louis' 6-5, 10-inning setback in New York on Wednesday evening. Salas pitched an uneventful ninth before serving up a walkoff home run to Angel Pagan with one out in the 10th. Salas has consistently struggled in outings where he's been called on to pitch more than one inning this season, so it's surprising he was sent back out for the 10th by manager Tony La Russa. Clearly the best reliever in St. Louis' bullpen, Salas' recent struggles won't cost him his closing gig at the expense of a current teammate, but it's hard to believe the Cardinals aren't actively scouring the market for a veteran reliever with closing experience.

Fernando Salas nailed down his 13th save Thursday, allowing a hit but no runs to shut the door on the Orioles. Salas has been bitten by the longball in June, giving up three over his last seven appearances, but he also finishes the month with a 0.98 WHIP, so it's not as if he's been getting hit that hard. He's converted 13 of 15 chances on the year and carries a 2.68. Particularly with Eduardo Sanchez on the DL, the only way Salas will lose his job anytime soon is if the Cards trade for Heath Bell.

Fernando Salas blew his second save of the year in Sunday's late-innings win over the Royals. Salas surrendered a towering game-tying home run to Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar in the top of the ninth inning. The right-hander was able to get out of the frame and the Cardinals picked up the victory thanks to Skip Schumaker's walkoff shot in the bottom of the ninth, but it's another pock mark on an ugly June for Salas. The Cards don't really have a better option at the moment with Eduardo Sanchez still rehabbing a sore shoulder, but the situation warrants monitoring.