BASEBALL
Bieber shut down for 2 weeks
CLEVELAND -- Shane Bieber's season is suddenly on pause, leaving the Indians to survive for a while without their ace.
The AL's reigning Cy Young winner won't throw for at least two weeks because of a right shoulder strain, an injury that will further test Cleveland's pitching depth.
After allowing a season-high in hits -- and throwing 107 pitches over five innings -- in a loss to Seattle on Sunday that dropped him to 7-4, Bieber underwent an MRI. It showed he has a subscapularis muscle strain in his right shoulder.
Manager Terry Francona said Bieber will be shelved for two weeks and then re-evaluated.
"We're still obviously reaching out for more information and sending the images to different doctors and things like that, trying to get the best information we can," Francona said. "So, for right now we know it's no-throw for a couple of weeks."
The Indians placed Bieber on the injured list for the first time in his career and recalled reliever Kyle Nelson from Class AAA Columbus.
In just his fourth season, Bieber has quickly developed into one of baseball's best pitchers. Last season, the right-hander led the majors in wins (8), ERA (1.63) and strikeouts (122).
Bieber's loss is a major blow to Cleveland, which has managed to stay in contention despite a rash of key injuries to starter Zach Plesac, slugger Franmil Reyes and Gold Glove catcher Roberto Perez. The Indians will now have to make due without Bieber for at least a few weeks.
His velocity was lower on Sunday, but nothing overly alarming. After the game, the 26-year-old Bieber reached out to the medical staff and "just wanted some peace of mind because he thought he could work through it," Francona said.
