Clevinger OK, expected to make next start

ARLINGTON -- Despite a sore left ankle after Monday night’s misstep off the mound, Indians starter Mike Clevinger appears on track to make his next start Saturday in Detroit, manager Terry Francona said Tuesday.

Clevinger put a scare into himself and his team Monday night when he turned his left ankle coming off the mound to field a grounder, with the team going so far as to perform an X-ray even after he stayed in the game. Clevinger had been making his first start since spending more than two months on the injured list with a back strain.

“He’s a little bit discolored, got some swelling in there,” Francona said. “If you talk to Clev, he’s like, ‘Hey, I’ll be fine. [Head athletic trainer] James [Quinlan] and the guys, I think they think he’s going to be fine for his next start, but they want to make sure that he can throw a side [session] and not put himself in a precarious situation because of that. But I think all things will lead towards him being OK.”

Including Monday’s loss, a 4 2/3-inning, five-run affair, Clevinger is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts this season. He has 29 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.