Bibee exits after 5 innings due to cramping in quads, hamstrings

CLEVELAND -- Everything you needed to know about how Tanner Bibee felt coming off the mound before the start of the sixth inning was reflected in the way he spiked his glove down the stairs en route to the home clubhouse.

An injury wasn’t supposed to be how it ended. Bibee was rolling against the Tigers on Wednesday in Cleveland's 2-1 victory at Progressive Field, having given up one run on two hits (one of which was a solo homer) with four strikeouts and one walk in five innings. He was about to warm up for the sixth with just 67 pitches under his belt and the game tied at 1 when he had cramps in both of his quads and both of his hamstrings as he ran onto the field.

“I think what’s most frustrating is like if it was one, that would’ve been fine,” Bibee said. “I can pitch through that. … But everything happens like that, and it sucks.”

This isn’t new for Bibee, according to the starter. He said he’s cramped up in each of his starts since he tossed six scoreless innings against the Mariners on June 19. He even remembers being plagued with cramps during his last season in college. He’s getting IV fluids regularly after his outings. He’s trying to find every way to prevent this and yet, it hasn’t stopped.

This time was worse, though. After he leaped over the third-base line, he took a couple of elongated, uncomfortable steps in an effort to push through the pain. He stood on the mound and threw his first warmup pitch, and it was clear that something wasn’t right.

“He threw the first pitch and I could tell he took a little bit off of how he’d usually throw it,” Guardians catcher Bo Naylor said.

The Guardians’ medical staff met Bibee on the mound and offered him some sort of drink to help combat the cramps. Bibee tried to walk it off. He crouched down just beside the rubber stretching his hips and quads, but nothing was solving the problem. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt took two steps closer to Bibee with a sympathetic head tilt signifying, “It’s probably best that you come out now.”

“He fought me pretty good out there,” Vogt said, “but I had to make a decision, and letting him go further could have been a danger to him.”

Vogt wrapped his arm around Bibee’s back and ushered him off the field. That’s when Bibee released his anger down the dugout stairs, knowing what he still had left in the tank. But for the Guardians, it’s more than simply enjoying the Bibee Show.

This is the one hurler in the rotation that this team has been able to rely on to eat up innings no matter what. Yes, he made it through five, but at just 67 pitches, he could’ve gone another two or three frames, depending on his efficiency.

And if the first five innings showed us anything, it was that Bibee was the most efficient he’s been all season, as he enjoyed an eight-pitch second inning and a nine-pitch third.

“I feel like the foul balls [I was getting in previous starts] turned into balls in play, which is something internal that we worked on this past week,” Bibee said. “And I think it worked well.”

The biggest step forward in Bibee’s mind was that he gave up a solo homer in the first inning, and he didn’t let it bother him. He knew he executed his pitch, moved on and continued to mow down the Tigers’ offense. It made leaving the game even harder to swallow.

The Guardians are looking for all the help for their bullpen that they can get, and Bibee was set to give nearly everyone a night off. All the way up until an injury wouldn’t allow him. Instead, Cleveland had to turn to the ‘pen to start the sixth, calling on Scott Barlow on short notice. But as this group has done all season, four relievers combined for four hitless innings and the Guardians walked away victorious.

The bigger win, though? The Guardians won’t be without their ace moving forward. But the team is desperately looking for a way to help prevent nagging cramps from interrupting his dominance yet again.

“It’s hot and humid for everybody, but it affects everybody differently,” Vogt said. “We’re doing everything we can to prevent this, and so is Tanner. We’re working through it.”