Shane

Bieber

Bieber gave up a 419-foot fly to Taylor Trammell in the fourth that would have been a homer in 25 ballparks and a 403-footer to Christian Walker in the fifth that would have left the yard in 11, but both were flyouts tonight. Bouncing back nicely from last week’s bizarre start against the Nationals in which he walked six and was pulled in the first, Bieber had two walks and six strikeouts tonight. Still, given that he’s been rather homer-prone, he’s not a great play this weekend in Philadelphia.

This makes plenty of sense. The Phillies need another starter for the rotation and potentially another outfield bat as well. The Blue Jays could send any combination of Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, George Springer, and Daulton Varsho. The Phillies may also be interested in Jeff Hoffman for the bullpen. Would the Blue Jays want to take a chance that they can “fix” Andrew Painter? There is still time to go here and nothing imminent, but it seems like a pairing that makes sense.

Truly bizarre. Bieber had never walked six in a game before, much less in an inning. Three of the walks came with the bases loaded to force in runs. Bieber said after the game that he was having a tough time gripping the ball after an hourlong rain delay to start the game, and he probably deserves the benefit of the doubt for now. He’s due to make his next start Monday against the Astros.

Bieber allowed only five hard-hit balls, which is good because he carried just a 21 percent whiff rate over 86 pitches. It’s still a concerningly-low strikeout rate as he managed only three today and has just 22 in 30 2/3 innings so far. Bieber has reeled off three consecutive starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed to lower his ERA from 9.00 to 4.70, but he still feels like a tenuous option at this point. He’s lined up against a good Nationals lineup for his next start.

Bieber’s velocity today wasn’t quite as good as in his final start before the break, but at 92.3 mph on average with his fastball, he was still better than in his first three outings back. He was able to generate 13 whiffs and finish with a 33 percent CSW while throwing only 80 pitches to get his 18 outs. If the velocity heads south again, Bieber probably won’t be helpful in mixed leagues. Right now, though, he’s looking good. He’ll get the Rays at home on Thursday.

Bieber got off to a rough start in this one. After walking the second batter he faced on the night, the righty then gave up a two-run homer to Xander Bogaerts to immediately put his team down 2-0. He would settle in after that, scattering just four hits and one walk over his next 3 2/3 innings of work before being pulled with two outs in the fifth inning to give the Blue Jays the left-on-left matchup with Gavin Sheets coming to the plate. Despite the rough start, it was a relatively solid outing for Bieber, who needed a bounce-back after allowing seven earned runs in his previous start. Bieber is still rounding into form after missing nearly three months due to injury. He’s allowed two earned runs in two of his four starts this season and should be poised for a strong second half of the season.

In 33 career plate appearances with the bases loaded, Bieber hadn’t allowed a grand slam until the second inning today, when Randy Arozarena hit one. He also gave up a two-run homer in the fifth to end his day after 89 pitches. Bieber’s fastball averaged 91.9 mph today, which was basically a match for his first two outings, and he’s already given up six homers in 13 innings. His ability to hit the corners will probably improve as he continues to start regularly, but unfortunately, he just doesn’t seem like a mixed-league guy right now. He’ll likely make his next start Friday in San Diego.

Bieber surrendered a leadoff homer to Joc Pederson in the first inning. He settled in nicely, holding the Rangers to just the one run into the sixth. He walked a batter and gave up a hit with one out before departing at 92 pitches with four strikeouts. He scattered five hits in all and issued four walks. The 31-year-old right-hander will look to carry some momentum after the encouraging start into a matchup against the Mariners in Seattle on Saturday.

He gave up consecutive homers to Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith and Taylor Trammell in the fourth. Bieber, back from elbow inflammation, averaged 91.7 mph with his fastball, which is also right where he was in his Triple-A starts. That’s down about one mph from his seven starts post-Tommy John last year but still slightly better than his 91.3 mph average from 2022 and ’23. Ideally, he’ll get a little stronger as time goes on, but it’s not something to count on. Really, though, with his ability to locate, he can be effective where he is now. He just wasn’t sharp enough today. He has a couple of rather favorable starts coming up at home against the Rangers and in Seattle. If he’s not considerably better in those, then his status as a mixed-league SP should be reevaluated.

Bieber was supposed to come off the IL to start Sunday against the Cubs, but that outing was postponed due to rain. The 31-year-old will instead make his season debut Tuesday against the Astros after missing the first two-plus months while recovering from his elbow ailment. Bieber is not the same dominant option he was for the Guardians a few years ago, but he’s a solid fantasy option who deserves roster consideration now that he’s healthy enough to bolster the Toronto rotation.