CLEVELAND -- Shane Bieber needed this start.
It’s hard to look at a 3.44 ERA with a 2.81 FIP on paper and think that hurler is struggling. Bieber has found ways to continue to be successful this season despite the fact that he hasn’t displayed the level of dominance we’ve been used to seeing over the last two years.
That is, until Tuesday.
There was no better time for Bieber to rediscover his mastery on the rubber than the matinee of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the White Sox. The Guardians starter permitted just one run on three hits in his first complete game of the season in Cleveland’s 4-1 victory over Chicago at Progressive Field.
Bieber had the most efficient outing of his career, going the distance on just 95 pitches, becoming the first Cleveland pitcher to log a nine-inning complete game with fewer than 100 pitches since Corey Kluber on Aug. 4, 2018, and it was the first nine-inning complete game with 95 or fewer pitches since Kluber on July 30, 2014 (85 pitches).
“Coming out of Detroit he felt like he had to get back on track,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “He had a good work week with [pitching coach] Carl [Willis] and went out and was in control of the game. Couple [defensive] mishaps out there and he picked us up and got double plays. Just really when you look up at nine innings and under 100 pitches, it means a guy is pitching.”
The Detroit start that Francona mentioned was one of Bieber’s rockiest of the season, permitting five runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 frames. Prior to Tuesday, Bieber hadn’t picked up a win since June 3, and had gone 0-2 with a 4.00 ERA in six starts in that span. Even prior to that stretch, Bieber had been battling (and still is battling) a 2 mph dip in fastball velocity from last year’s average, and watched his swing-and-miss numbers begin to plummet.
But concerns that these hurdles would continue to push Bieber’s performances in the wrong direction were at least halted for the time being with his sparkling seven-strikeout, no-walk gem against the White Sox.
“Yeah, I do,” Bieber said, when asked if he thinks he’s pitching better than his record indicates. “I feel confident every time I go out there. Decisions are decisions. They are discrepancies of what people think of those. Ultimately, I just try and go out there and eat up innings. I think if you’re able to do that, the rest of the categories will follow. So that’s kind of what matters to me is the longevity of the outing and bouncing back from bad ones and not compounding mistakes.”
Bieber said the biggest key for him this time out was getting ahead of batters and straightening out his cutter with slightly more velocity to separate the offering more from his slider. With those two pitches keeping hitters on their toes, Bieber was able to mix in and trust his fastball more, forcing his opponents to remain off balanced.
“It makes him go from what looks like a three-pitch mix guy to almost a six-pitch mix with that cutter almost,” Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said, “because if you throw it up it can stay on plane, if you throw it down, it can go down a little bit, and it's got that higher, 87 or 88 miles per hour velocity to it.”
Just because Bieber hasn’t been in his Cy Young-like form from two years ago doesn’t mean that he can’t get himself back on track. Bieber channeled his inner leader, eating up all nine innings in the first game of a doubleheader against Chicago, saving his bullpen in a crucial time.
He’s been the ace of this staff for a reason and that’s not something anyone has forgotten -- not even his opponents.
“It’s always a good guy to watch,” White Sox starter Davis Martin said. “I watched his YouTube videos and stuff like that. It’s pretty cool to go up against him. But he threw well today and executed like he should."
Can Bieber continue this dominance throughout the second half of the season? It’s impossible to predict. But Tuesday was certainly the best first step he could’ve made.
“It's exactly what I expect,” Hedges said. “The guy is one of the best in the league for a reason.”