DETROIT -- Shane Bieber appeared to be running on fumes. He was standing on the rubber in the bottom of the seventh inning with no outs and an 0-2 count on Detroit’s Harold Castro, as his pitch count clicked to 94. He had just given up three straight singles that scored two runs after tossing six one-hit frames. But if there’s anything that the 24-year-old has proven in his short span in the Majors, it’s that he has the poise of a seasoned veteran.

Not only did pitch No. 95 record his 12th strikeout of the night, but Bieber was quickly able to escape the jam with a 5-4-5 double play and walked back to the mound to start the eighth with 97 pitches under his belt. His 7 2/3-inning, two-run performance carried the Indians to a 4-2 victory over the Tigers on a rainy Saturday at Comerica Park.

“He was in command under some tough [conditions],” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “You know, it’s raining all night, the place was sloppy and he looked a lot more like Bieber.”

• Box score

Rewind six days and Bieber looked as opposite of himself as he has all season. Against the Yankees, he allowed five runs on five hits through just 1 2/3 frames, which he couldn’t help but think about as he prepared for his next start in Detroit.

“I was definitely pretty antsy to get back out there,” Bieber said. “Fortunately, I was able to hit the ground running. But yeah, tried to flush it as much as I could, but obviously a lot of competitors in here. We go out there and prove what we can do. That was kind of in the back of my mind the last couple of days.”

Bieber was perfect through the first four frames before Miguel Cabrera chopped a ground ball up the middle for the Tigers' first hit of the game to lead off the fifth. But the single didn’t disrupt Bieber’s groove. He got the next batter to line out to center before striking out the next five batters he faced. His 12 K’s were his second most of the season and accounted for the fourth double-digit strikeout game of his career.

• Martin swipes home in 8th

What was working for him?

“Breaking balls. Threw some good changeups when I needed to and kept them honest with my fastball. But it seemed like the slider and the curveball were getting a good amount of swings and misses and keeping guys off balance. Those were relied on today.”

While his stat line may not reflect just how important he’s been for his team, as the right-hander’s 4.07 ERA dropped to 3.92 after Saturday’s performance, he’s been the one constant in a rotation that has taken multiple hits. Bieber’s record is 6-2, but the Tribe has won 10 of the 14 games he’s started this season.

A starting staff of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger and Bieber was projected to be one of the most dominant in the American League, but Kluber, Carrasco and Clevinger all have landed on the injured list, while Bauer labored through May, hinting at battling through “physical limitations.” Because of the unexpected bumps and bruises, a lot of the weight fell squarely on the shoulders of the team’s No. 5 starter. And so far, he’s delivered.

A large part of his success has come from his curveball, a pitch that has produced 67 swinging strikes of the 119 times it’s been thrown in 2019. Of pitchers who have thrown at least 50 curveballs this season, Bieber’s whiff rate ranks second -- 56.3 percent -- behind Angels lefty Andrew Heaney (57.6 percent). He added nine swinging strikes with the pitch on 14 total curves against the Tigers.

“I mean, you could have all the poise in the world; if you don’t have stuff, you’re still gonna get hit around,” Francona said. “He’s got good life on his fastball. His breaking ball continues to get better. Same thing with his changeup.”