CLEVELAND -- It was Jordan Luplow’s turn to be in the spotlight. The outfielder had just launched his second career walk-off homer to bring a jolt of energy to an offense that desperately needed it. But as soon as he joined the postgame Zoom call with local media and was asked about the clutch hit, he said he needed to address something else first.

“I think first I got to say, 'Props to [starter Zach] Plesac, man,'” Luplow said. “I’m his locker buddy and I got to see him put in some adjustments and go to work every day to get over that hump. And I think tonight he did, and he threw a hell of a game. Just watching him work, I’m so proud of the kid.”

Zach Plesac had the worst outing of his career on April 14 in Chicago, giving up six runs in just two-thirds of an inning. Although he managed to go five frames in his next start, he still permitted six runs on seven hits. But after constant work over the four days before he toed the rubber once again, he got himself back on track, going 7 2/3 strong innings against the Twins on Monday. And even though Luplow was the man of the hour, he didn’t want Plesac’s efforts to go unnoticed.

“I love when guys are modest or they talk about their teammates,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I think that's a really good characteristic to have. And I think it bodes well for your team as you're going through a long season, because you need that.”

It wasn’t just Luplow who went off topic to talk about Plesac’s outing; first baseman Josh Naylor did the same. That's an indicator not only of the camaraderie in Cleveland's clubhouse, but of just how much work Plesac put in to get back to the pitcher everyone expected him to be in 2021.

“[Pitching coach] Carl [Willis] had mentioned that they had kind of moved him over on the rubber a little bit, just to get him against that front leg a little bit more,” Francona said, “and you could see a couple extra ticks on his fastball, which really helps his changeup. And then his breaking ball was good.”

All four of Plesac’s pitches were up in velocity, as his curveball jumped 1.8 mph faster than his 2021 average (80 mph) and his fastball was 1.4 mph faster than his season average (92.6 mph). And for a rotation that has had some short outings from its fourth and fifth starters, Logan Allen and Triston McKenzie, it was imperative to see Plesac bounce back the way he did.

“I think my tempo is good,” Plesac said. “I found my curveball, I think. I changed my grip. I'm spiking the curveball now and I feel like I've got a great feel for it. … So really I just kind of got back to my cues that get me on track, and this whole week, that's what I've been doing. I think I'm in a good spot, and we're just going to keep looking to trend upward.”

Alomar: More than a first-base coach
When Franmil Reyes earned the first stolen base of his career on Sunday, he laughed and said that it was something he could’ve never imagined would have happened. But he gave all the credit to first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. Alomar holds his stopwatch at first base and regularly times how long it takes the pitcher to get the ball to his catcher.

During Spring Training, he was able to help Reyes know when to try to swipe a bag, which led Reyes to get multiple stolen bases in Arizona. And after Reyes managed his first regular-season one on Sunday, backstop Roberto Pérez, who also isn’t known for his speed, picked up his second career stolen base on Monday, further proving Reyes’ point that Alomar has been a big help for Cleveland on the basepaths.

“Because of Sandy's knowledge and passion for that, I'm going to go out on a limb and say he has a lot more latitude and responsibilities than most first-base coaches,” Francona said. “I think that makes us a better team. He really pays attention and he's good at it. Because of that, I think it would be wrong, or damaging, to not give him that much responsibility.”

Cuteness overload
Brace yourselves for something too adorable for a human heart to handle. Indians reliever Nick Wittgren was away from the team on Monday, because he and his wife, Ashley, welcomed their second son, Camden, to the world around 2:30 a.m. that morning. And on Tuesday, they brought Camden home to meet his 2-year-old brother, Jackson, for the first time, and his reaction was priceless.