When Taj Bradley was acquired by Minnesota from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline last July, the 25-year-old California native struggled. In six starts with the Twins, Bradley went 0-2 with a 6.16 ERA and 6-8 (4.19 ERA) overall.
However, something clicked for him during the offseason and it’s been more than noticeable.
After establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the month of April, Bradley has maintained his consistency in the initial stages of May. The right-hander improved to 4-1 on the season following the Twins’ 11-3 win over the Nationals in D.C. on May 5th.
The win served as a microcosm of Bradley’s early season success. Making his second career start vs. Washington, Bradley needed 27 pitches to get through the first inning. He allowed a run, but limited the damage beyond that.
He then allowed the first two batters to reach in the second before striking out a couple hitters to avoid allowing any runs to score. From there, Bradley settled in and was in control for the rest of the game.
He retired the next 11 batters before Daylen Lile’s two-out double in the fifth inning. The starter struck out eight, including five on his curveball. He tossed his fifth quality start in eight outings this season as the Twins improved to 5-3 in those starts.
Three of his next four innings went 1-2-3, with only one more run crossing the plate in the fifth inning. His final line: six innings pitched, four hits, two earned runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches, hitting 99 mph on fastballs, generating 16 swings and misses.
According to Rotowire, Bradley got seven swings and misses on his splitter, three on his cutter and four on his curve. It’s his curveball that’s emerging as his biggest weapon. For Bradley, it’s the second straight game it’s been this effective.
“It’s good,” Bradley told MLB.com after the win. “I’m feeling — yes, putout pitch — but I feel like I’m finding more comfort in landing it to show more value. Getting it to certain parts to where it’s a good offering, a competitive pitch around the zone.”
“I feel like if I keep doing that and keep honing it in my bullpens, it will be better.”
He also got batting support from centerfielder Byron Buxton, who tagged a 3-run homer in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. It was Buxton’s 11th home run in his last 19 games, making him the first Twins player to do the trick since Nelson Cruz in 2019.
“It’s amazing,” Bradley said to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press regarding the offense. “That’s when I started talking to myself and saying, ‘They got out there, did their job and got the runs for me. So now it’s time to do my job, and keep (us) in the game and give us a chance to win.’ ”
Through eight starts into the season, Bradley is becoming the Twins’ ace. Overall, he has a 2.87 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 47 innings. He’s gone at least six innings in six of his last seven starts and has only allowed more than two runs once all season.
Entering the game, the Nationals, one of the better hitting teams in the National League, were averaging more than 5.0 runs per game. With the loss, Washington dropped to 4-13 at Nationals Park, the worst in majors.
The win raised Bradley’s road record to 3-1 on the young season. All of this comes off an April where he went 3-0 in his first four starts. During that 4-game stretch, Bradley allowed just two runs while walking four and striking out 22 over 16 2/3 innings.
One of his early wins came on April 7 against Detroit when he outdueled two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. In the 4-2 win at Target Field, Bradley held the Tigers to one run on six hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.
Ironically, Bradley’s only blemish of the year came against his former teammates at Tropicana Field on April 24. He pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed six earned runs with seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
He allowed a pair of homers each to Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda. At that point, Bradley had not given up a home run all season. However, Bradley is among MLB’s top 10 in many pitching categories including wins, strikeouts, and innings.
“There is no doubt in anyone’s eyes in this room that (Bradley) was an ace-caliber pitcher,” catcher Ryan Jeffers told The Athletic. “We couldn’t have been more excited to get him over here. It’s not often you get a chance to have a starter that throws 100 (mph) in your rotation.”
Manager Derek Shelton was impressed with Bradley’s poise after struggling early in the win against the Nats. “The fact he was able to bounce back like that was really important,” Shelton told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
“He was able to hold it at one run in the first, and that was huge.”
Bradley’s next scheduled start is slated for Sunday (1:40 pm ET) at Cleveland in the finale of a three-game set against the AL Central leading Guardians. In three career starts, Bradley is 1-1 with an ERA of 1.65 and 21 strikeouts (16.1 innings) vs. Cleveland.
Entering the series, the Twins are just 3 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the division. However, over the last four seasons, Minnesota has gone 9-21 at Progressive Field, winning exactly one series in that time — back in 2023.
