Adam Plutko's Versatility and Willingness Provides Indians with a Major Lift

Indians pitcher Adam Plutko followed in the footsteps of his fellow starters on Tuesday in game two of the Tribe's doubleheader against the White Sox, throwing six solid innings. Plutko again showed that he can make the quick transition from the pen to a starting role, something that can only help the Indians down the road in this 60-game season.

People buy insurance for a variety of reasons, but the main one is to have protection in case something goes wrong.

Having insurance in Major League Baseball when it comes to a team's rotation is very different, yet the overall theme is the same.

Is there a player (or two) on the roster who can step in at a moments notice and pitch well?

The Cleveland Indians have an insurance policy on their pitching staff, that being Tuesday night's starter Adam Plutko.

As he's done in the past, Plutko came out of the bullpen and took the ball to start the game, and he delivered.

The veteran went six innings, allowing two runs (both on solo homers) on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

“The fact that he got through six (innings) was huge, he gave up two solo homers but that was it, he pitched really well,” Indians manager Tito Francona said after the game.

Plutko would love to be a regular every five day starter, but the role that he provides for the Indians is something that most teams don't have.

The role that he plays is long man in the pen, or spot starter on the mound. Both are important, and it's a role that some players would not embrace.

Don't tell Plutko that.

“That’s my role. That’s my role on this team,” Plutko said.

“I’m not in the starting rotation, but that’s been my role ever since I’ve been here. I’ve shown up the night before from the minor leagues and pitched and done that.

"I’ve been sitting, watching a game, got a tap on my shoulder, ‘Spike up, you might be in this game.’ That’s not a role for everybody, but it’s my role and I really relish it and I really love that it is my role.

Last season Plutko started 20 games for the Indians, and in those starts he went 7-5 with a 4.86 ERA.

He's never going to get the credit that others in the rotation like Mike Clevinger or Shane Bieber get, but his teammates know how vital he is, and Plutko said that he is happy to see the team's fellow starters do well.

“They’ve looked like they’re locked in and absolutely they are,” Plutko said Tuesday after the win.

“I think everybody’s gone over six. Nobody’s given up more than two. We’re gonna win a lot of baseball games if we do that. You see it tonight, our starting pitching is physically ahead and sharpness is ahead of everybody else and that’s going to be a difference-maker for us.

"If we can hand the ball off in the seventh inning to the bullpen, I feel like we make their job a lot easier, especially if we have a lead. The gameplan is simple: Starting pitching goes deep, bullpen picks them up and we score a couple runs in between and we play solid defense.

"That’s the Indians’ way and I love being a part of it.”

For now Plutko is back in his role in the pen, but like always he's one pitch away from being right back in the rotation.

"We've seen Adam grow up right in front of our eyes, to the point where he was taking a pretty big role, and was in the conversation with the Players Association and was so good," Francona said.

"It's fun to watch guys grow up and start to have success and understand that even when they don't exactly get what they want, it is what you make it and he's a good example of that."