ST. LOUIS -- Three starts ago Shane Bieber tried something new on the mound. He started chewing gum.
A small thing for sure. Certainly not akin to changing the grip on his knuckle curve. Or moving to the opposite side of the pitching rubber.
Just something to lighten the mood from the serious business of trying to get hitters out. Sometimes Bieber has even cracked a smile while he’s on the mound.
“I’ve been doing a flavor-of-the-game type thing,” said Bieber. “If I give up a run then I’ll switch up flavors. It’s not superstitious. It’s maybe a reminder to stay loose, enjoy it. I’m very blessed and fortunate to be able to do what I do and for us to be able to do what we’re doing. I don’t think anybody takes that for granted.“
Bieber knows how that sounds. But in the regimented world of last year’s AL Cy Young winner, an extra chomp on a piece of gum may be just the thing he needs.
“To encapsulate that in such a small thing as chewing gum might be a bit of a stretch,” Bieber admitted. “I’m just grateful to be out there and to compete with my guys.”
What was the flavor of the night Tuesday when Bieber took the mound in a 10-1 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium?
Bieber smiled and said, “Ground Ball Grape.”
He added, “That’s a trademark issue. I think Big League Chew already did that one.”
Indeed Big League Chew, the shredded bubble gum that can be found in dugouts from Little League to the big leagues, has that exact flavor.
Monday night it’s safe to say Bieber stayed with Ground Ball Grape. In six innings, he allowed one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Bieber, accompanied by his gum and a whole lot of offense from the top of the lineup, won his third straight start. He’s 7-3 with a 2.96 ERA and leads the big leagues with 122 strikeouts and 85 innings pitched.
The win was not as easy as the final score indicated.
Bieber started the game with three scoreless innings. In the fourth, he quickly retired Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, but the next four batters reached base. Manager Terry Francona said Bieber’s calves were cramping.
“Not an excuse, it just kind of happened,” Bieber said. “It happened in the warmups that inning and then I got two quick outs and I felt all right and I was working through it just trying to get back to the dugout.”
Edmundo Sosa drove in the Cardinals only run in that sequence with a single. The next batter, Andrew Knizner, walked to load the bases. Cardinal manager Mike Shildt, trying to take advantage of the moment, pinch hit John Nogowski for starter Carlos Martinez. Bieber prevailed, getting Nogowski to hit into a force play at second via a good stop and throw by third baseman Jose Ramirez.
A massage, liquids and stretching exercises awaited Bieber when he made it to the dugout. He also had a conversation with himself.
“Honestly just get over it,” Bieber said. “Stop thinking about it. If it’s going to go, it’s going to go. It’s hopefully just cramps. Just try to stop thinking about it and go out there and compete. Like I said, we’re up a decent amount (5-1) there. my job at that point is to go out there and try to elongate my outing.”
Catcher Austin Hedges was impressed with the way Bieber handled the inning.
“It says a lot about him,” said Hedges. “It’s hot out there. We’re used to bad weather. It’s not a (easy) transition from the freezing cold to now it’s going to be hot. The bodies are going to take a little bit of time to get used to it.”
Bieber, in his last three starts, has varied the use of his fastball. Tuesday night it was his primary pitch as he threw it 44% (44-for-98) of the time, according to baseballsavant.com. On June 1 against the White Sox, he leaned on it even more, throwing it 48% of the time. But on May 27 against the Tigers, Bieber threw it only 31% of the time compared to his curve, which he threw 48% of the time.
A starting pitcher and catcher go into a game with a plan of how they want to get through the lineup the first time. Then it becomes a move and countermove proposition.
“It’s a good lineup over there, especially with Goldschmidt and Arenado,” said Hedges. “Everybody knows (Bieber) now. There are no surprises that he’s going to throw breakers, sliders, curveballs. So when guys start making adjustments, it’s up to us to pick the right spots to throw the fastball. And he had an outstanding fastball going. We’re never afraid to throw it, but today we saw our opportunities and he was able to execute.”
A little Ground Ball Grape never hurts either.
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The Link LonkJune 08, 2021 at 02:00PM
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On Ground Ball Grape and enjoying the moment with Cleveland Indians’ Shane Bieber - cleveland.com
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