Shane Bieber: A Very Tough Start in His First Game of the Season

The Toronto Blue Jays clearly need reinforcements in their starting rotation. And Shane Bieber's return to action yesterday (Tuesday) was part of the plan.

Bieber missed most of the first half of the season due to inflammation in his right elbow, which forced him to extend his spring training and make five rehab starts before returning to the majors.

But things didn't go exactly as planned for him. In fact, in his first start of the season against the Houston Astros at Rogers Centre, Bieber had already been off the mound for quite some time when Houston sealed its 9-7 victory.

The Astros came out swinging against Bieber right from the start, as Jose Altuve hit a double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. The Blue Jays pitcher nearly got out of the jam, but a two-out single by Isaac Paredes allowed Altuve to score, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead.

But that was the least of Bieber's worries, as in the fourth inning, he gave up back-to-back home runs to Yainer Daiz, Cam Smith, and Taylor Trammell, giving Houston a 4-0 lead. Trammell's home run allowed him to join the select group of hitters who have hit 500 home runs at the Jays' home stadium.

Bieber then struck out Brice Matthews but allowed back-to-back singles to Raynel Delgado and Altuve before being replaced by Tommy Nance.

The 31-year-old pitched three and two-thirds innings, allowing nine hits, four earned runs, and no walks while striking out two. He threw 75 pitches, 50 of which were strikes.

Nothing about this poor performance is really surprising, as Bieber hadn't shown anything extraordinary in the minors during his rehab. The Blue Jays now need him to start pitching like the Cy Young Award winner he was in 2020.

His next start is scheduled for Sunday against the Texas Rangers.

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