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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.
Bradley (6-8) was saddled with the loss Wednesday against the Yankees, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four.
Wednesday marked Bradley's shortest outing since he worked just 1.2 innings in a July 23 start against the White Sox. It was the third time this year that the right-hander yielded seven runs, and he has only one quality start in his last six appearances. Next week's scheduled start in Texas could be Bradley's last of the campaign, and he'll be looking to salvage a disastrous start to his Twins career. Through 25.1 innings for Minnesota, he has a 7.82 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB.
Twins' Taj Bradley: Delivers quality start in Anaheim
Rotowire
Bradley came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Angels, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks over 6.1 innings. He struck out five.
All three runs off the right-hander came in the third inning, highlighted by a two-run blast from Zach Neto. Bradley showed flashes of dominance by racking up 18 swinging strikes among his 98 pitches (57 total strikes). The quality start was his first in four outings for the Twins, and over 21.1 innings for his new team he has a shaky 6.33 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB. Bradley will look to build on this performance in his next start, which lines up to come at home next week against the Yankees.
Twins' Taj Bradley: Strikes out seven in no-decision
Rotowire
Bradley allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings in a no-decision versus the White Sox on Thursday.
Bradley had a strong showing against the Padres in his last outing, but the White Sox still gave him trouble. His last start with the Rays also came against the Southsiders, as did his Twins debut. In those three games, he's given up 15 runs across 11.2 innings. He's had some struggles against non-playoff teams, particularly the Orioles and Marlins in addition to the White Sox, while finding success against stronger teams. Overall this year, Bradley's 4.92 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 109:49 K:BB over 126.1 innings offer tepid confidence at the best of times. It's possible he'll lose his starting role with Pablo Lopez (shoulder) returning Friday -- the last spot in the rotation is likely to come down to Bradley or Simeon Woods Richardson.
