Mason Molina Gives Springfield a Strong Arm

Cardinal Chronicle
Pitcher of the Day
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Mason Molina Gives Springfield a Strong Arm, Earns Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day Honors

Mason Molina gave Springfield exactly what it needed Tuesday night — early control, swing-and-miss stuff and five innings that allowed the Cardinals to play from in front.

Molina earned Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honors after allowing one run on just one hit over five innings in Springfield’s 8-5 win over Wichita. He struck out eight, tying his season high, and helped set the tone on a night when the Cardinals’ farm system went a perfect 4-0.

It was not a spotless outing. The four walks kept Molina from cruising cleanly through the Wind Surge lineup, and his command had a few rough edges. But the stuff was clearly working. Wichita managed only one hit against him, and Molina repeatedly found the pitch he needed when trouble started to build.

That is the separator.

There are nights when a pitcher dominates because everything is easy. Then there are nights when he has to compete through traffic, manage the strike zone, miss bats and still hand his club a lead. Molina did the latter.

Springfield backed him with enough offense, including Noah Mendlinger’s three-hit night, Lars Nootbaar’s RBI double on rehab assignment, Trey Paige’s home run and Zach Levenson’s late three-run shot. But Molina’s five innings gave the Cardinals the foundation for the win.

Across the system, Tuesday belonged mostly to the hitters. Memphis scored 19 runs. Peoria homered three times. Palm Beach walked it off. But Molina gave the farm report its top pitching line.

Five innings. One hit. One run. Eight strikeouts.

That will earn the nod for Pitcher of the Day honors.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports