MINNEAPOLIS -- To be in the mix for a spot in the Twins' starting rotation next season, right-hander Taj Bradley knows he needs to find the right mix of pitches to stay ahead of opposing hitters and keep them off-balance.
The correct combo eluded Bradley against a familiar foe on Wednesday night. Making his third start of the season against the Yankees, Bradley lasted only four innings, surrendering home runs in consecutive frames to Trent Grisham as the Twins dropped the series finale, 10-5, at Target Field.
Of the 89 pitches he threw, 45 were four-seam fastballs (50.6%); 25 cutters (28.1%); 13 curveballs (14.6%); and six splitters (6.7%).
The first two innings, Bradley relied heavily on his fastball and cutter, throwing the hard stuff on 27 of 30 pitches. He hurled just two splitters and a curveball. The problem on Wednesday, according to Bradley, was less about his offspeed pitch usage and more about his inability to locate his fastball.
“I was falling behind counts after the first time through the order and just not prioritizing the first-pitch strike,” Bradley said. “I feel like I was trying to do too much, and all those pitches thrown out of the zone and stuff like that, especially some of my fastballs getting away from me.”
Over the next two innings, Bradley diversified, tossing 12 curveballs and four more splitters. His final “Uncle Charlie," however, was punished by Grisham, who golfed it a Statcast-projected 393 feet to right for a three-run blast, part of his fifth multihomer game of the season. Of the 13 curveballs Bradley delivered, New York hitters offered at only five.
Bradley labored through a 34-pitch fourth inning, even balking in a run as the Yankees batted around. He exited just shy of 90 pitches and was tagged with his eighth loss of the season. The lone silver lining: four strikeouts, including the 400th of his career.
“Taj, the ball came out of his hand good, [his] stuff looked good,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Obviously, the three-run home run is a big swing and takes the outing to a place where he’s not going to be happy with it. There’s no way around that … sometimes you make a decent pitch and it gets hit.”
After collecting nine hits on Tuesday, the Twins added 11 more in the series finale, but it wasn’t enough as the pitching staff gave up 10 runs for the second straight game. Minnesota has now dropped 10 of its last 11 series.
Bradley’s early tenure with the Twins has been rocky, as his 22 runs over five starts match the highest total by a Minnesota pitcher through their first five outings since Lance Lynn in 2018.
“I think he made an attempt to mix [his pitches], [but] when he fell behind, he went to the fastball a fair amount,” Baldelli said. “His stuff is so good that his success comes with the ability to mix in all counts.
"A lot of the time if he’s mixing and throwing his offspeed pitches in the zone and just below the zone, he’s going to have a lot of success. That wasn’t the case today, but that’s what we’re shooting for.”