As Bieber erases concerns, Blue Jays' 'pen keeps providing them

TORONTO -- Forget Christmas in July, this is the postseason in August.

It was best on best, ace on ace and Shane Bieber did everything but get some help.

Making arguably the biggest Blue Jays home debut since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. strolled these halls in 2019 wearing his father’s jersey and the biggest home debut by a Trade Deadline addition since David Price back on Aug. 3, 2015, Bieber looked like the frontline starter Toronto has spent the past month dreaming of.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Bieber only pitches and he only starts. He allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts -- the second run crossing after the bullpen took over -- but Freddy Peralta of the Brewers was nearly untouchable. The 7-2 loss is tough to swallow on a night as highly anticipated as this one, but all of the question marks around Bieber when he was acquired have disappeared in just two appearances.

“I thought he was really good,” manager John Schneider said. “Now, you’ll talk to him in a few minutes, he’ll probably say the opposite with some execution stuff. He wasn’t as sharp with the spin today, sure, but he was really, really sharp with the performance.”

Schneider was right, but Bieber is trying to keep some perspective after his second start back from Tommy John.

“There’s some frustration. I could have finished stronger, but it’s a privilege to be frustrated again,” Bieber said. “Happy to take the good with the bad and move forward.”

The first three batters Bieber faced? Strikeout, strikeout, strikeout, all swinging. Another sellout crowd at Rogers Centre wasn’t just ramping up for strike three. Bieber was getting explosive cheers for strike one. There’s been something missing in Toronto since those runs of 2015-16, a feeling that the playoff appearances in 2022 and ‘23 never really captured. It’s been building for months now, but Friday night made it undeniable. It’s back.

It can disappear just as quickly, though. Those roars from the innings turned into quiet murmurs through the later frames after the Blue Jays’ bullpen stumbled … again.

This group of relievers, which was quietly a strength for Toronto early in 2025, now has the spotlight on it. Walks have been a problem, big innings have been a problem and we still haven’t seen the best out of Louis Varland or Seranthony Domínguez, the Blue Jays’ two other headliners from the Trade Deadline. No matter how good the starter looks, a bad day from the bullpen -- or a sleepy night from the offense -- can always undo it.

“We need to come in and throw strikes, that’s the reality of it,” said Schneider, who was pointed in his comments about the bullpen.

Varland, in particular, is someone Schneider wants to see more from, especially following a performance like Bieber’s.

“We’re kind of pounding our head against the desk, because the stuff is there,” Schneider said. “He’s got 100 and he’s got a great curveball, it just comes down to execution. That’s basically it, maybe getting into different parts of the zone.

“His stuff is too good to be what the results are right now. He knows that, we know that and we trust that it will get better. It’s just unfortunate that it has gone this way. We’re trying to get him in spots where he can have a good one and take a deep breath.”

The Blue Jays need to figure this out over the final month of the season. It’s not negotiable, particularly with the Red Sox and Yankees inching closer. Bieber looks like a pitcher with the potential to lead them into a series with the Game 1 nod, though, and if he can push deeper than 5 1/3 on a conservative 92 pitches when the time comes, that’s one step towards simplifying things. If Schneider needs to pick up the bullpen phone twice instead of three or four times, this whole thing gets a little easier.

These are the dilemmas that great competition can expose. These are the highs and lows that only the postseason offers, and this matchup is as close as it gets.

The Blue Jays might have struck gold with Bieber, but in baseball, no one player can do it alone.