The Twins didn’t get the kind of night they needed in Sacramento. They fell behind early against the Athletics and, after getting swept by the Padres over the weekend, Minnesota could have used a cleaner start to this three-game set before heading home for six games against the White Sox and Guardians.
Even with the loss, Taj Bradley gave them a moment no Twins pitcher had ever produced.
In the bottom of the fifth, Bradley ran through the Athletics with an immaculate inning, needing just nine pitches - all strikes - to strike out three straight hitters. It was the first immaculate inning in Minnesota Twins history.
Bradley’s night was not spotless overall. He allowed four runs on seven hits over 6.2 innings, but he still piled up 11 strikeouts and issued only one walk. For a starter who entered Tuesday as Minnesota’s most dependable arm since the All-Star break, that kind of swing-and-miss stuff was hardly a surprise.
Before this start, Bradley had posted a 3.90 ERA and 3.98 FIP in 140.2 innings pitched since the break. He also came in leading all Twins starters with 3.1 WAR, and his 158/62 K/BB ratio had already made him the kind of pitcher who can take over an outing at any moment. Tuesday was one of those nights.
The trade that brought Bradley to Minnesota at the 2025 deadline is looking better by the day, too. The Twins acquired him straight up from the Rays in exchange for Griffin Jax. Jax has thrown 91.2 innings for Tampa Bay this season, working out of the bullpen to a 3.63 ERA with 18 saves and 0.3 WAR.
If Bradley settles in as a fixture near the top of Minnesota’s rotation over the next few years, that deal may age very well for the Twins.
In Other News...
Twins Have 4 Triple A Options Who Could Change The Stretch Run
With the stretch run approaching, the Twins are looking a little deeper than the usual bench and bullpen fixes, and St. Paul has become the place to watch. Matt Wallner and Gabriel Gonzalez give Minnesota different looks in the outfield, Ben Ross brings the kind of utility flexibility clubs covet late in the year, and right-hander Marco Raya adds another arm to a system that may need one before the regular season ends.
The mix matters because these are not just fill-ins waiting for an emergency. Wallner has long been the most obvious power candidate, Gonzalez offers a younger bat with upside, Ross can cover multiple spots if the roster gets tight, and Raya gives the Twins another pitcher who could fit a specific need. How Minnesota chooses among them will say plenty about what the club values most in these final weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Finally Did Something Fans Havent Seen In A Long Time
After a winter and spring defined by a leaner payroll and a reset in the front office, the Twins finally acted like a club trying to buy for October again. Jeremy Zoll, now running baseball operations, got the green light from controlling owner Tom Pohlad to add at the deadline, and Minnesota brought in Jeff Hoffman, Tommy Nance, Dean Kremer and A.J. Minter to beef up the pitching staff.
It was the kind of move Twins fans had been waiting to see for a long time, especially after last years trade-deadline selloff sent the organization in the opposite direction. The cost was real, with several minor league prospects headed out the door, but the message was clearer still: the Twins were willing to raise payroll and push in chips if it meant giving themselves a better shot at the postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Have Avoided A Costly Rotation Mistake
The Twins did their homework on Framber Valdez this winter, and the organization at least explored a late multi-year offer before the left-hander landed with the Tigers on a three-year deal. For Minnesota, it was the kind of rotation decision that can shape a season before it starts, especially with payroll flexibility already working against the front office.
Valdez has not exactly given Detroit the ace-level return it hoped for, posting a 4.35 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP through 26 starts while his strikeout and whiff rates have slipped. In that light, Minnesota may have been wise to move on, or at least cautious enough to avoid tying up resources in a pitcher whose recent performance has raised enough questions to make the Twins' pass look more defensible than regrettable. [Read more 🡒]