MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Mason Molina

The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Mason Molina
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Mason Molina gave Springfield the kind of start that settles a ballclub.

Molina is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day after working 6.2 innings in the Cardinals’ 5-2 win over the Wichita Wind Surge on Sunday afternoon at Equity Bank Park.

It was the best pitching line of the day in the Cardinals’ full-season system.

Molina allowed one unearned run on three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out five. He became the first Springfield starter this season to pitch into the seventh inning, giving the Cardinals the length, efficiency and control they needed to close out a road series win.

That is a starter doing more than filling innings.

That is a starter taking charge of the game.

Springfield gave Molina an early lead when Jon Jon Gazdar opened the game with a leadoff home run. Wichita answered later, but Molina never let the game get away. He worked around what little traffic the Wind Surge created, kept the ball in the strike zone, and forced Wichita to earn everything.

The key number may not be the strikeouts.

It may be the walks.

Zero.

For a pitcher with bat-missing ability, that is the kind of line that gets attention. Molina did not beat himself. He attacked the zone, trusted his stuff, and gave Springfield a chance to play from in front.

The Cardinals backed him in the fifth inning with two-out RBI doubles from Ryan Campos and Miguel Ugueto, taking the lead for good. From there, Molina kept the game under control and handed the bullpen a lead it could finish.

Victor Clemente closed it out, and Springfield took the series four games to two.

That matters.

The Cardinals had been through a week filled with tight games, late swings and plenty of stress. On Sunday, Molina gave them something cleaner. He gave them length. He gave them strikes. He gave them stability.

Quinn Mathews deserves mention after allowing one run on one hit over four innings for Memphis in the Redbirds’ championship-clinching win over Nashville. Ryan Fernandez also deserves mention after throwing a perfect fifth inning in his second MLB rehab appearance.

But Molina had the deepest and cleanest start of the day.

6.2 innings.

Three hits.

One unearned run.

No walks.

Five strikeouts.

That earns the honor.

Old School Take

There is still nothing better for a club than a starter who gives you real length and does not give away free bases.

Mason Molina did that Sunday.

He pitched into the seventh inning, walked nobody, and helped Springfield finish off a road series win.

That is pitching.

That is control.

That is why Mason Molina is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Mason Molina, Springfield Cardinals | MLB