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Twins' Taj Bradley: Strong outing wasted Wednesday
Rotowire
Bradley came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out seven.
The right-hander racked up an impressive 35 called or swinging strikes among his 114 pitches (73 total strikes) en route to his fourth quality start of the season, but he left the mound with the game tied 2-2 and watched Minnesota's bullpen stumble late once again. It was Bradley's longest outing of the season, and he'll take a 2.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 44:15 K:BB through 41 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week against the Nationals.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Hit hard by former squad
Rotowire
Bradley (3-1) took the loss Friday against the Rays, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three in 6.1 innings.
The volume of hits wasn't the issue for Bradley, who allowed just seven hits in his first start against the team that traded him away at last year's trade deadline. The problem was that four of them were home runs -- the first four long balls that the right-hander has allowed all year. In the end, it resulted in six earned runs allowed, more than doubling his total for the season. The 25-year-old still carries a very respectable 2.91 ERA in 34 innings on the season. His next scheduled start is set for Wednesday against the Mariners.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Stuck with loss against Cincy
Rotowire
Sands (0-1) took the loss Saturday, giving up one run on two hits in the ninth inning as the Twins were downed 5-4 by the Reds. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
None of Minnesota's high-leverage relievers were particularly effective while trying to protect the 4-2 lead they got handed by Taj Bradley, and Sands got left holding the bag after allowing a pair of singles that were sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt. Sands headed into the season as the nominal favorite to close for the Twins and did convert his only save chance so far back on March 28, but since then he's collected three holds in eight appearances while posting a 4.91 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 5:3 K:BB over 7.1 innings.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Delivers quality start Saturday
Rotowire
Bradley came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Reds, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out five.
The 25-year-old right-hander actually put together his worst performance of the season after giving up one run or fewer in his first four trips to the mound, but Bradley was still in line for his fourth straight win until the Twins' patchwork bullpen fell apart late. Bradley racked up 31 called or swinging strikes among his 99 pitches (62 total strikes) while producing his third quality start of 2026. He'll take a 1.63 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB through 27.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next weekend in Tampa Bay.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Limits damage in win
Rotowire
Bradley (3-0) earned the win against the Blue Jays on Sunday, allowing one run on five hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over five innings.
Bradley allowed a run in the first inning before rebounding with four scoreless frames, despite throwing just 62 of 106 pitches for strikes and issuing a season-high four walks. While he wasn't sharp Sunday, the 25-year-old has now won three straight contests and has yielded just three total earned runs over four starts to open the season. He'll carry a 1.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB across 21.2 innings into a home matchup against the Reds next weekend.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Fans 10 for second win of 2026
Rotowire
Bradley (2-0) came away with the win against the Tigers on Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits while striking out 10 across 6.1 innings. He did not issue a walk.
Bradley set the tone by striking out the first two batters he faced, and he struck out at least one batter in each of the next six frames. He was tagged with an earned run after Parker Meadows came around to score in the seventh, but that was the only blemish in an outstanding start for Bradley, who generated 15 whiffs while logging 68 strikes on 104 pitches (65.4 percent). Bradley has logged back-to-back quality starts and has yielded only two runs while striking out 22 batters across 16.2 innings to open the season. He's slated to start this weekend on the road against the Blue Jays.
Bradley (1-0) earned the win Thursday against the Royals, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out three over six scoreless innings.
Bradley worked through a few early threats but managed to keep Kansas City off the board, showcasing his ability to pitch out of trouble. The right-hander's biggest moment came in the third inning, when he rebounded from a dropped foul popup by striking out Bobby Witt with a 100 mph fastball -- the hardest pitch thrown by a Twins starter in the pitch-tracking era -- to escape the jam. The 25-year-old righty was also efficient enough to reach the six-inning mark, tossing 65 of 100 pitches for strikes. Coming off a season in which he posted a 5.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 127 strikeouts over 142.2 innings, Bradley is off to a red-hot start to 2026 and continues to justify Minnesota's decision to acquire him from Tampa Bay at last year's trade deadline.
Twins' Taj Bradley: Strikes out nine over 4.1 innings
Rotowire
Bradley allowed one run on three hits and three walks across 4.1 innings in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Orioles. He struck out nine.
Bradley won a spot in the Twins' rotation during spring training and continued racking up the strikeouts against Baltimore. His fastball remained up compared to 2025, as he averaged 97.4 mph in Saturday's outing compared to 96.2 mph from a season ago. However, walks remain an issue, contributing to Bradley being unable to get deep enough into the game to pick up the win. Bradley's next start should line up for Friday's home opener against his former team, the Rays.
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Twins' Taj Bradley: Set to win rotation spot
Rotowire
With Zebby Matthews sent to the minors, Bradley solidified his spot in the rotation and will likely make his first start March 28 at Baltimore, Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Bradley did enough this spring to win a spot with a 19:5 K:BB in 14 innings and a 4.50 ERA. He was set to play in the World Baseball Classic but stayed in spring training with the Twins to win a rotation spot. Bradley has above-average velocity (96.3 mph average fastball in 2025) but issues with walks (9.3 BB% last season) have limited his effectiveness.
Bradley has a good chance of winning a rotation spot for the Twins, Matthew Leach of MLB.com surmises.
Bradley might have had an inside track at winning a job battle even before Pablo Lopez's elbow injury, but with three starting spots now open, the likelihood is even higher. Bradley is pitching in the World Baseball Classic, so some of his reps will be away from manager Derek Shelton's direct observations.
Twins' Taj Bradley: Fans nine in six impressive frames
Rotowire
Bradley didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing one run on two hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out nine.
In what was his final scheduled appearance of the season, Bradley saved his best start since joining Minnesota for last. The nine strikeouts were his most since he fanned 10 during his June 1 outing in Houston as a member of the Rays, and Wednesday was the first time since July 18 that the right-hander fired at least six innings while conceding one run or zero. Bradley still struggled as a whole since landing with the Twins, turning in a 6.61 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB across 31.1 innings, so he may have to fight for a rotation spot next spring.
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