Taj Bradley struggles in debut as Twins are shut out by White Sox 8-0

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Aug 24, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

The Minnesota Twins hoped this weekend would provide a glimpse of their future after they promoted pitchers Mick Abel and Taj Bradley.

Unsurprisingly, there will be growing pains.

Bradley, a 24-year-old right-hander, gave up seven runs in his first two innings during the Twins’ 8-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox Sunday at Rate Field. Bradley, who owns a 4.95 ERA across 22 major league starts this season, has given up 33 earned runs over his past 45 2/3 innings.

The Twins have lost 10 of their past 13 games. It was the first time the Twins dropped a series, or consecutive games, to the White Sox since May 2023, breaking an eight-series winning streak.

One day after Abel surrendered six runs in three innings, it was Bradley who turned in a disappointing Twins debut.

Bradley, acquired from Tampa Bay in a trade for reliever Griffin Jax, didn’t record an out until his fifth batter. Mike Tauchman and Miguel Vargas opened with back-to-back singles before Kyle Teel ended a seven-pitch at-bat with an RBI single through the right side of the infield.

After an infield single loaded the bases, Edgar Quero lined a two-run single up the middle.

A three-run, 31-pitch first inning was only the start. Bradley gave up four runs in the second inning.

Teel dropped an RBI single down the left field line on a 96-mph fastball that sat over the middle of the plate. Another run scored when second baseman Luke Keaschall airmailed a throw to first base, attempting to complete an inning-ending double play. Colson Montgomery, the next batter, crushed a 423-foot, two-run homer that sailed to the last row of seats in right field.

Montgomery homered in all three games of the series.

“The first couple of innings, he obviously leaned heavy on his fastball,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters in Chicago. “I think he was trying to find his feel for the split, the curveball, his offspeed pitches.”

The Rays demoted Bradley to Class AAA after he gave up four runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings against the White Sox on July 23, telling the third-year player to work on his splitter after his strikeout rate plummeted this year.

Bradley completed five innings, retiring his final eight batters, but he yielded nine hits and one walk while striking out one of his 24 batters. He struck out more than a batter per inning during his first two big-league seasons, but he’s totaled 96 strikeouts in 116 1/3 innings this year.

Starting pitchers shouldn’t be judged off one outing, but the reason the Twins traded Jax for Bradley in a one-for-one deal is their internal belief in Bradley’s upside. His fastball reaches 97 mph and regularly draws whiffs. He had an impressive two-month stretch last summer, posting a 0.82 ERA over nine starts in June and July, but he’s lacked consistency since that point.

Chicago added a run in the seventh inning after a two-out fielding error from Keaschall extended the inning. Three pitches after the error, Quero lofted an RBI single to center off reliever Pierson Ohl, who allowed three hits in three innings.

White Sox starter Yoendrys Gómez pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings, giving up two hits and three innings, but center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was just as responsible for keeping the scoreless start. Robert saved a likely run in the third inning with a diving catch on a shallow fly-ball from Trevor Larnach.

In the fourth inning, Robert robbed Austin Martin from an extra-base hit in the left-center gap with another diving catch. After both catches, Gómez raised his right arm in a nod of appreciation.

The Twins, shut out for the 10th time this season, were hitless in their seven at-bats with a runner in scoring position and they left nine runners on base.

Up next for the Twins is a three-game series in Toronto, completing their six-game road trip, where they’ll face the American League East-leading Blue Jays.

____