DH swap pays off for 'Cats

Four days. Four designated hitters. It’s not a sign of indecisiveness on Hillcats manager P.J. Forbes’ part. Not at all. He wants to keep his hitters fresh, engaged and involved and doesn’t want anyone languishing on the bench for too long.

Lynchburg 5,
Potomac 1

Sunday, Eddie Prasch got his turn in the rotation, and he produced immediately. He laced an RBI double to right field in the second inning of a 5-1 win over Potomac, the Hillcats’ third in four days to start the season. Prasch also hit a sacrifice fly and reached on catcher’s interference while trying execute a hit-and-run play.

The rotation, which also includes Kent Sakamoto, Alex Presley and Ray Chang, has been met with approval by the players involved.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Prasch said. “He’s making sure everybody gets their at-bats. You don’t take too many days off. You stay sharp.”

Prasch’s second-inning double came in his first at-bat of the season. He stayed sharp through batting practice sessions, but he admitted he was anxious to finally get a chance to hit live pitching. Forbes said he’s committed to the rotation for now, but that he could change his mind if one of the four gets hot.

“They’ve earned their way here, and they deserve a chance to get at-bats,” Forbes said. “Are they going to get as many at-bats as they want? Probably not. Things happen during the season, and they need to be ready to go. I try to convey that message to them — stay ready, stay ready, stay ready.”

After Saturday night’s 2-0 loss to Potomac, right fielder Miles Durham reminded the team that the goal of winning the series was still within reach. The Hillcats put pressure on Potomac’s pitching staff early with timely hitting and smart, aggressive baserunning. Chi-Hung Cheng, a long reliever who filled in for scheduled starter Bryan Morris, and relievers Dustin Molleken and Chris Cullen kept Potomac’s bats in check. The Nationals didn’t get on the board until Brian Peacock hit an RBI double with one out in the ninth.

The Hillcats’ aggressiveness paid off early. Jose De Los Santos led off the game with a single and stole second. He scored on Matt Hague’s two-out RBI single. Marcus Davis got into scoring position in the second by stealing second and scored on Prasch’s RBI double. In all, the Hillcats stole four bases, and three of the base stealers eventually scored.

“I liked the way we executed today,” Forbes said. “That’s fundamental baseball. We’re going to have to do those things. We’re not going to out-slug anyone. We’re going to have to do those things. To this point, I’m pretty pleased with it.”

Cheng, making his second appearance this year, allowed two hits in four innings. Molleken allowed one hit and struck out four in three scoreless innings and picked up his second victory of the year. The strong start is encouraging for Molleken, a 15th-round Pirates draft pick in 2003.

Pittsburgh tried to convert Molleken into a starter last year at low-A Hickory, but he struggled, going 5-4 with a 6.30 ERA in 16 starts. He allowed 98 hits in 80 innings, and those numbers didn’t improve much when he was promoted to Lynchburg and sent back to the bullpen. He was 3-2 with a 6.67 ERA in 16 relief appearances for the Hillcats.

The Pirates’ coaching staff reminded Molleken of the importance of being aggressive early in the count, and he’s throwing more first-pitch strikes. In five innings this season, he’s allowed one hit and walked one.

“I’m happy with everything,” Molleken said. “I just needed to throw strikes and get after guys. I’m throwing my off-speed pitches for strikes and getting ahead of guys in the count instead of falling behind.”