Plutko takes another step after hip surgery

Indians 10, Clippers 0

INDIANAPOLIS — Adam Plutko can attest that a baseball player goes through emotions ranging from pure ecstasy to deep discouragement as his career plays out.

Life couldn’t have been much finer for Plutko when he broke spring training last April coming off his first major-league promotion and having an opportunity to become the Clippers’ No. 2 starter behind Ryan Merritt.

In that first start, though, the right hip began bothering him to the point where the pain affected his mechanics. The result was a 7-12 record, 5.90 ERA and 24 home runs allowed in 24 games.

Last October, Plutko underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum and impingement. A bone was shaved because it had been misshapen.

Plutko made the first step in his comeback by giving up four runs and six hits in five innings in the Clippers’ 10-0 loss to Indianapolis on Saturday night at Victory Field. He struck out three and walked three.

“There were some ups and downs and there was some progress,” Plutko said. “As a command guy, it probably wasn’t so great with three walks. I couldn’t keep my team in the ballgame today. All three of the walks scored. The walks killed me.”

Indianapolis scored two runs in the second on a single by Kevin Newman and two in the fourth on consecutive doubles by Jacob Stallings and Eric Wood.

Reliever Preston Claiborne gave up five runs in the sixth.

Columbus manager Chris Tremie saw mostly positives from Plutko.

“At times, he threw the ball real well,” he said. “He left a few pitches up in a few innings. I’m just giving him a lot of credit. A lot of balls weren’t hit hard. Overall, for the first start I thought it was a strong outing because he battled through a lot of things last year.”

Plutko, 26, said the injury threw him off last season. In 2016, he was 6-5 with a 4.10 ERA in 15 starts, and that earned a promotion to Cleveland in September.

The surgery kept him out of baseball activities until January. He threw 11 innings in spring training, including once with the Indians.

“I’m better now and am excited to get started with the new season,” Plukto said. “I received a lot of live action (in minor-league camp). I don’t feel like I’m behind. I’m pretty much on schedule.”

Credit, he said, goes to his doctors for telling him exactly what the surgery entailed and what he would be facing during rehabilitation.

“I was given good advice and it wasn’t scary,” Plutko said. “You are a professional athlete and sometimes your body is going to break. This is what a lot of us go through. It’s something you just have to deal with.”