March 31, 2023
Bieber did not factor into the decision Thursday in Seattle despite six scoreless innings on six hits and no walk. He struck out three.
ANALYSISBieber and
Luis Castillo traded zeros for six frames before the Mariners won a battle of the bullpens. Worth noting is that Bieber's velocity was down across the board -- his fastball topped out at 91.9 mph after averaging 91.3 mph in 2022 -- although it was also down last season and he made it work. It should tick back up as the year moves along, but his strikeout upside will remain limited unless he can rediscover his Cy Young velocity.