Taj

Bradley

It was cold in Minneapolis today, so Bradley’s velocity was down 1.5-2 mph. Still, the hitters didn’t have any fun, either, even with the wind blowing out. Bradley got five strikeouts and 12 whiffs, finishing with a 31 percent CSW. The velocity figures to come back next week in St. Pete. He might even have a little extra for his old Rays teammates.

Bradley had to work hard in those five innings despite allowing just the one run, as he needed 106 pitches to get those 15 outs. Much of that had to do with self-inflicted damage, as he walked four on top of allowing five hits. The seven punchouts limited the damage, however, and it’s another solid outing for the 25-year-old. Bradley will take a 1.25 ERA into his scheduled start against the Reds on Saturday.

Bradley easily outdueled Tarik Skubal, just as everyone predicted. The right-hander followed up his impressive six scoreless against the Twins on Thursday with another outstanding effort; touching 98 mph with his fastball and generating 15 swings and misses on 47 swings (32 percent). Bradley has flashes this ability before, but hasn’t been able to put it together on a consistent basis since joining the bigs in 2023. At the age of 25, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if 2026 was the campaign where he did it, but the sample remains small. Let’s see how he fares against the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Bradley was 0-2 with a 6.61 ERA in his six starts for Minnesota last year and was pulled with a lead in the fifth in his season debut last week. He touched 100 mph on the gun today, but he still settled for three strikeouts and eight whiffs on 51 swings. He gave up 10 hard-hit balls, three of which actually topped 110 mph. Still, the results were great for a second straight outing, leaving him with a 0.87 ERA to date. We’d be more optimistic is his CSW and EV numbers weren’t just as mediocre as usual. He’ll face the Tigers on Tuesday, probably in a matchup against Tarik Skubal.

Bradley struck out the first two batters in the first before giving up a hit and walking two to load the bases. He was able to escape the jam with his third strikeout. Two hits in the second inning would put the Orioles on the board with a run. Bradley would settle in to hold Baltimore to just the one run into the fifth. He struck out the first batter of the inning, his ninth of the game, and was done at 92 pitches. Bradley generated an impressive 15 whiffs while sitting at 97.4 mph on the fastball, up from his 96.2 mph average last season. It was certainly an encouraging start for the 25-year-old right-hander. He’ll look to follow it up against the Rays in Minnesota on Friday.

Bradley struck out four batters on the afternoon. All of the damage done against him came in the opening inning as Drake Baldwin smacked a two-run single and Dominic Smith added an RBI single. Bradley got six swings and misses on 63 pitches on the afternoon, registering a CSW of only 18 percent. He has had an inconsistent spring, compiling a 4.67 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 23/7 K/BB ratio across 17 1/3 innings. He should be considered as a matchup play at best for fantasy purposes.

Bradley was roughed up by the Red Sox in his second spring outing, but he’s been excellent in the last two to drag his ERA down to 4.50. He’s struck out 19 and walked five in 14 innings. Bradley became the clear favorite to serve as the Twins’ fourth starter after Pablo López went down, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to throw it away. That would leave one rotation spot for Mick Abel and Zebby Matthews.

A nice rebound after he gave up five runs last time out. The bottom of the first started with a 105-mph Trent Grisham blast to center that would have been a homer in 21 major league ballparks, but it was just a long out in this one. Bradley went on to have a fine day, even though six of the eight balls in play against him were hit hard. One of those was a 99-mph liner to second that Tristan Gray was able to turn into a double play by picking Jasson Domínguez off first base.

Bradley, who withdrew earlier this week from pitching in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, is suddenly an important early-season contributor for the injury-ravaged Twins. He finished with four strikeouts and only issued one walk. He served up six hits, including a gargantuan round-tripper to Jarren Duran. He’ll aim for better results his next time out.

Bradley’s odds of making Minnesota’s season-opening rotation rose exponentially when Pablo López underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this spring. The 24-year-old will stick around in Twins camp rather than heading out to pitch for Team Mexico in the upcoming international showcase.