Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley lost his second consecutive start on Monday against the Chicago Cubs. Despite taking the loss, Bradley put together an impressive performance. He went five and two thirds innings pitched and struck out eight while allowing a run on three hits.
This was the fourth time that Bradley has recorded seven or more strikeouts in his six starts so far this season.
Tay Bradley Looking Formidable In Rookie Season
The young phenom will have some outings where he did all he could do and might still end up taking the loss, but we know that the Rays are in good hands when this brother is on the mound. Bradley could not get any run support from his team on Monday as they weren’t able to score.
This marks Bradley’s second loss in a row, as he took the loss back on May 23 against the Toronto Blue Jays. In that game he gave up a season-high four earned runs on nine hits while striking out seven.
Rays manager Kevin Cash had nothing but good things to say about Bradley’s recent performance.
“Super pleased with Taj,” Cash said in an article from mlb.com. “Mixed all of his pitches, had the fastball and the cutter really going a lot. Broke out a couple changeups to lefties, but a lot of power.”
“It’s pretty cool when he’s sitting at 95, 96 [mph], and then when he needs to reach back, he can go ahead and get 99. Really, really pleased with the way Taj threw the ball.”
The Numbers Talk For Taj
In his first MLB season, Bradley has put together some really good outings. On the season he has a 3-2 record with a 3.60 ERA and 42 strikeouts. The future looks bright for the Rays organization and right now they can contend for a World Series appearance, and with Bradley can certainly make an impact as the season progresses.
As a rookie starting pitcher, a lot can go through your mind when you’re out there on the mound. For Bradley, he just goes out there and does what he loves to do.
“Don’t try to do too much,” Bradley said of his mindset. “You’re trying to learn on the go. If you try to change so much while you’re playing the game, it just becomes out of whack. So I just go back to what I was doing. If I need to expand, I can, but don’t try to go so much out of the zone.”
There’s a reason why Bradley was the Rays top prospect. His ability to dominate the zone and make it difficult for hitters to have success against him is very impressive. And he will only get better as time goes on.
This MLBbro could be a Black Ace in a few years, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s in consideration for a Cy Young award in that time too. Bradley’s first season will definitely be one to remember and who knows, he could become a World Series champion as a rookie.
This is a sign the Rays definitely wanted to see from their veteran pitcher. On the season, he has a 1-1 record with a 5.28 ERA through five games. The past two seasons have been a rollercoaster ride for the two-time All-Star and it was a good sign to see him secure his first win this year.
He may not have had his best performance on Saturday, but he still went out there and gave a professional effort.
Archer received a lot of run support that day from his teammates as the Rays went on to defeat the Twins 11-4. The 32-year-old went five innings giving up four runs on four hits. He did surrender two home runs but we’ll chalk that up to rust. He also struck out three and he threw a total of 78 pitches.
This was Archer’s fifth start of the season and the 78 pitches and five innings were season highs for the veteran.
“I want to provide length,” Archer told the Tampa Bay Times. “I think that’s one thing I can give this team, and quality length. My breaking ball wasn’t quite as good there towards the end. But throwing 78 pitches, completing five, it was huge going forward. We still have a lot of baseball left. And if I can provide length, it’s going to bode well for everybody.”
If Archer can provide length on the mound for the Rays going forward, that will be a huge plus for the team. The velocity is still there as he touched 95 a few times against the Twins.
Injuries haven’t been the only setback Archer has dealt. The former All-Star has had some family issues which has caused him to miss a majority of the season, but if he can continue to work his way back to a starter capable of going six or seven innings, the Rays would be that much more of a threat.
“It was great,” Archer said on his recent outing. “Obviously I walked more than I wanted to, but it just gave me confidence to go out there and push the pitch count to 78, which is the most pitches I’ve thrown in a long time. The team, we got a big win, and I took that next step in my pitch count/innings limitations also.”
This is the right time for Archer to build his confidence, especially going into the postseason. He will get the opportunity to make a few more starts before then. Rays brass will be watching his final few starts before the playoffs to see if he figures in their plans.
Archer will certainly be up for the challenge . Our MLBbro bro is slowly but surely getting back to his groove and if he can stay in his zone he’ll be a key piece for the Rays.
Tim Anderson continues to outplay his competition at shortstop and flex his clutch gene. The All-Star MLBbro hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning and then drove in the go ahead run in the 11th inning to cap a three-hit night and lead the Chicago White Sox to a 7-5 win in extra innings over the Tampa Bay Rays.
All signs point to another rehab start either Wednesday or Thursday of this week, which puts him on track to return to the Rays, per sources, who are gearing up for another deep playoff run.
After throwing at Tropicana Field, Archer found time to show love and give wisdom to some little leaguers.
— POWER SHOWCASE WORLD CLASSIC (@PowerShowcase) August 9, 2021
While on the comeback trail, the 32-year-old made five rehab starts before he was shut down with the hip injury.
Archer gave up three runs on 31 pitches in the first inning before being relieved of his duties by Triple-A Durham in his previous rehab start due to hip tightness.
The #Rays were hoping for Chris Archer to go 5 IP/75 pitches today for the @DurhamBulls in Norfolk. However, the #Rays say Archer was removed after 1 IP/31 pitches due to left hip soreness. The #Rays say Archer couldn’t get his footing on the mound so it was precautionary.
In one of the starts, the right-hander showed flashes of his younger self as he threw 59 pitches in which 35 were strikes.
He struck out four while allowing one hit and one walk in a little over three innings.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Archer had an MRI done, and the results came back exceptionally clean, which allows the former All-Star to continue his comeback trail on Monday.
The #Rays Kevin Cash says bullpens for Anderson, Feyereisen and Thompson went well today. Anderson will pitch in an FCL game on Monday. Chris Archer will throw a bullpen on Monday, and if all goes well will pitch for Durham on Wednesday or Thursday.
Cash told the Tampa Bay Times, “If all goes well, the arm should not be shut down, so we will get him back out there assuming that he feels good and get him back to Durham to where he hopefully picks a three or four-inning outing right out of the gate.”
The start was his first since the veteran right-hander suffered the initial right forearm injury in early April.
Cash could not give an exact return date, but he told reporters that Archer would need to take more reps before returning to the big leagues.
And from the looks of it, Archer will return to the mound sooner rather than later.
Chris Archer is nearing a return after being sidelined for almost three months.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that Archer is “feeling good and is eyeing an early July return from the injured list.”
This is a sign the Rays certainly wanted to see from Archer. Having another healthy and potentially lethal arm in an already-solid pitching rotation can be a huge benefit.
The Rays have had a lot of success without Archer, establishing themselves as the top team in the AL East. So where will the former All-Star fit in when he makes his return?
On the season, he is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA.
Before his injury, Archer made just two appearances. His first was out of the bullpen and his second appearance was a start.
In his lone start of the season against the New York Yankees, he had a solid outing. The MLBbro threw 2.1 innings, striking out four and giving up no runs before leaving the game because of the injury.
“I thought it was just something that kind of comes and goes, because things come and go as you start,” Archer told the Tampa Bay Times regarding the injury. “But it lingered, and I found myself altering how I was throwing a little and it just wasn’t worth it.”
“Fortunately, it’s nothing serious. But there’s definitely some tightness in there that I need to get out. So I’m glad that we took the precautions that we did. And I’m really glad the bullpen stepped up.”
The two-time All-Star can make an immediate impact once he returns and silence all the critics that think he doesn’t have anything left in the tank. Even though his numbers have not been up to par the past few seasons, he can still go out there and get the job done on the mound.
Especially playing for a team that can make it back to the World Series. They will need all the pitching they can get.
If he can continue to build off his last performance, there’s no question he will add value to the rotation.
The Rays will find the right spot for Archer once he returns and they’ll keep a close eye on him as the time approaches to formulate a playoff roster.
Going into the 2021 season, the 32-year-old was ready to contribute to a team that was coming off its first World Series appearances since 2008.
Archer’s best season came in 2015 when he made his first all-star team and finished the season with a 12-13 record with a 3.23 ERA.
He made 34 starts that season and finished with 252 strikeouts, the most he’s had in a season.
Even though his career has been a roller coaster ride, he’s still in a position to help his team go deep into the playoffs if used correctly.
Once he makes his return, Archer will be an MLBbro you want to keep tabs on.
Recent Comments