Plutko Dazzles as Bats Take Third Straight

Veteran righty Adam Plutko tossed a one-run complete game to carry the Louisville Bats to their third consecutive win of the week over the Scranton/WB RailRiders on Friday night. The 33-year-old dominated in perhaps the most impressive pitching performance of the season for the Bats, who tonight clinched at least a split of their final series of the first half.

After a quiet first inning from both teams, the RailRiders struck in the top of the second. Bryan De La Cruz hit a solo home run just out of the reach of a leaping Rece Hinds in center field to put Scranton/WB up 1-0. The Bats answered back in the bottom of the inning, with Levi Jordan scoring on an RBI fielder’s choice by Francisco Urbaez.

Louisville continued to hit in the bottom of the fourth, putting up a two spot in the inning thanks to an RBI single by Will Banfield and a fielder’s choice by Blake Dunn. In the bottom of the fifth, the Bats chased Scranton/WB starter Carlos Carrasco (L, 0-2) from the game, and Hinds got his revenge with a home run of his own to center field to make it 4-1 Louisville. P.J. Higgins’ RBI single later in the inning gave the Bats a four-run advantage.

On the other side of the ball, Bats starter Adam Plutko (W, 2-4) was cruising. Following the home run, he retired 16 consecutive RailRiders, tallying a handful of strikeouts and forcing plenty of weak contact. The streak ended with a Jose Rojas single in the top of the seventh, but Plutko stayed composed, recording his fifth strikeout and forcing a flyout to take the Louisville faithful to the seventh inning stretch in a 5-1 game.

Plutko became the first Bats starter to throw a pitch after the seventh inning this season when he came out for the eighth tonight. He sat down the side in order, continuing his brilliant night.

In front of a crowd of over 7,000, Plutko trotted back out to the mound for the ninth, looking to finish what he started. After picking up two more quick outs, Brennan Davis stood in. Plutko got ahead with back-to-back sliders before getting Davis to roll over to third, with Higgins throwing across to seal the deal. It was Plutko’s first complete game since his no-hitter with Columbus on June 2, 2018, and the first nine-inning complete game by a Bat since Daniel Wright’s outing on May 16, 2016, also against Scranton/WB.

Outside of Plutko’s gutsy performance, Hinds and Higgins each recorded multiple hits, with Hinds delivering a big fly and a double. Five different Bats tallied an RBI in the win.

The Bats (32-41) will look to continue their winning ways tomorrow night against the RailRiders (36-34). First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET with Nick Curran and Jim Kelch on the call for Sports Talk 790.