Guardians’ Bieber has velocity issue, suffers worst outing of career
Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber’s velocity has remained a few ticks below where it was in the past. Until Saturday, it hadn’t be an issue as far as quality performances were concerned. That trend came to an end against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bieber was tagged for seven earned runs — tying a career high — in only 3 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits and walked three. He also didn’t record a strikeout, the first outing in his career without one.
It was also another case of Bieber firing a fastball that is barely eclipsing 90 mph. Bieber’s fastball Saturday averaged 89.9 mph and topped out at 90.9 mph. He entered the game averaging 90.8 mph for the season.
That’s down from his peak average of 94.1 mph during the 2020 season, which at the time was an upward trend. But over the past two seasons, Bieber’s fastball has been on the decline. It averaged 92.8 mph a year ago and has taken another tumble in 2022.
Bieber entered Saturday’s outing with a 2.45 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, so even with the dip in velocity, he had been one of the most effective starters in the league. Bieber’s ERA jumped to 4.13, nearly two full runs, after Saturday’s blowup.
“Yeah it was just lack of command, lack of getting ahead which led to lack of conviction,” Bieber said. “Overall just pretty frustrating. Didn’t give the team a great chance to win from the get. So, just got to be better.”
Saturday’s outing involved some heavy, swirling winds that played havoc on outfielders on multiple occasions.
“Yeah, I think there were some elements to deal with today, but ultimately it starts and stops with me, like I said,” Bieber said. “I’m frustrated with myself and not giving the team a chance to win really, from early on in the game. So no excuses. Just have to continue to move forward. Got to do my best to put this one behind me.”