TAMPA — Pitch by pitch, the future was coming into focus. The fastball was humming, and the splitter was tumbling.
Sixteen batters into Thursday night’s game, the Yankees had a handful of singles and a bunch of soft contact. This is what Rays manager Kevin Cash means when he talks of the magnificence of Taj Bradley’s talent.
There are few pitchers who can match Bradley’s high-90s fastball with his repertoire of breaking pitches. When he is in the groove, Bradley makes hitters ponder the fragility of their batting averages.
And then, without warning, tomorrow’s ace looked more like yesterday’s annoyance. A fastball up in the zone that was hit for a home run by Oswaldo Cabrera. This was followed by a single, double and walk. An inning later, it went walk, single, fielder’s choice and walk.
A 3-1 Rays lead was gone, and so was Bradley.
This is just part of the game, right? The infallible pitcher has not yet been discovered by scouts. There’s a reason we celebrate an ERA under 3.00, because eventually baserunners are going to find their way home.
And yet, it always feels like a surprise when it happens to a pitcher of Bradley’s skill.
That’s how expectations carom from compliment to burden overnight. Every slip, every misstep, every base on balls feels like a betrayal of promise. In reality, this is a normal part of a pitcher’s journey to the rest of his career.
It’s the direction that matters.
Are you growing? Are you learning? Are you improving?
These are the questions Bradley will answer in the coming months.
He is still just 24, so it’s not as if the clock is clanging. He’s younger than Triple-A fireballer Joe Boyle, for instance. Younger than Yankees pitcher Luis Gil, who won the American League Rookie of the Year award last season.
On the other hand, his ERA grew from 3.71 to 5.24 Thursday night.
“I thought he had really, really good stuff,” Cash said after the game. “The leadoff walk in the sixth comes back and (would) bite anybody a little bit. He knows that. I think there were two walks in the sixth, so a little uncharacteristic. But Taj competed really well, pleased with the stuff.”
It was, however, the second time in three starts that he gave up four walks. He had only one outing like that in all of 2024. It was also only the second time in his 50 big-league starts that he had more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) in a game.
“I don’t think it’s anything with mechanics or command,” Bradley said. “I think it’s just trying too hard to make a good pitch and then overexerting myself and pitches go out of the zone and you fall behind.”
It’s less a question of concern than of patience. We know what Bradley can do. He knows what he can do. He showed the entire world last summer when he went 5-1 with a 0.82 ERA and was the best pitcher in baseball over a nine-start span.
It’s what happened since that makes those two months feel like a tease. Bradley is 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA in 15 starts since July 31. That’s not uncommon for a young pitcher, but it is surprising for a pitcher of Bradley’s potential.
Cash gave Bradley every opportunity to pitch his way back into good graces in what would become a 6-3 New York win. He let him pitch to Aaron Judge with runners on second and third and one out in the fifth (Judge walked) before Cody Bellinger drove in a run with a fielder’s choice.
He stuck with him after giving up a walk and a single to begin the sixth and even let him pitch to Cabrera again after the Yankees third baseman had touched him for a single and the homer in two previous at-bats (Cabrera walked).
Was this meant to be a growing experience, or was Bradley just the best pitcher to be on the mound at those moments?
“I’d say it was more the right move in the moment,” Cash said. “Taj’s development is important. He’s going to continue to get better. But he’s a major-league pitcher and a really good one at that.
“If I would have seen a velocity drop or the strike zone eluding him leading up to that, maybe it’s a different conversation. But I felt totally comfortable with where he was at.”
Intentional or not, this was another chance for Bradley to grow. To learn. To become the pitcher that the Rays are certain he will be.
In another five or six days, he’ll be back on the mound.
And we’ll still be expecting wondrous things.
• • •
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TAMPA — Pitch by pitch, the future was coming into focus. The fastball was humming, and the splitter was tumbling.
Sixteen batters into Thursday night’s game, the Yankees had a handful of singles and a bunch of soft contact. This is what Rays manager Kevin Cash means when he talks of the magnificence of Taj Bradley’s talent.
There are few pitchers who can match Bradley’s high-90s fastball with his repertoire of breaking pitches. When he is in the groove, Bradley makes hitters ponder the fragility of their batting averages.
And then, without warning, tomorrow’s ace looked more like yesterday’s annoyance. A fastball up in the zone that was hit for a home run by Oswaldo Cabrera. This was followed by a single, double and walk. An inning later, it went walk, single, fielder’s choice and walk.
A 3-1 Rays lead was gone, and so was Bradley.
This is just part of the game, right? The infallible pitcher has not yet been discovered by scouts. There’s a reason we celebrate an ERA under 3.00, because eventually baserunners are going to find their way home.
And yet, it always feels like a surprise when it happens to a pitcher of Bradley’s skill.
That’s how expectations carom from compliment to burden overnight. Every slip, every misstep, every base on balls feels like a betrayal of promise. In reality, this is a normal part of a pitcher’s journey to the rest of his career.
It’s the direction that matters.
Are you growing? Are you learning? Are you improving?
These are the questions Bradley will answer in the coming months.
He is still just 24, so it’s not as if the clock is clanging. He’s younger than Triple-A fireballer Joe Boyle, for instance. Younger than Yankees pitcher Luis Gil, who won the American League Rookie of the Year award last season.
On the other hand, his ERA grew from 3.71 to 5.24 Thursday night.
“I thought he had really, really good stuff,” Cash said after the game. “The leadoff walk in the sixth comes back and (would) bite anybody a little bit. He knows that. I think there were two walks in the sixth, so a little uncharacteristic. But Taj competed really well, pleased with the stuff.”
It was, however, the second time in three starts that he gave up four walks. He had only one outing like that in all of 2024. It was also only the second time in his 50 big-league starts that he had more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) in a game.
“I don’t think it’s anything with mechanics or command,” Bradley said. “I think it’s just trying too hard to make a good pitch and then overexerting myself and pitches go out of the zone and you fall behind.”
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It’s less a question of concern than of patience. We know what Bradley can do. He knows what he can do. He showed the entire world last summer when he went 5-1 with a 0.82 ERA and was the best pitcher in baseball over a nine-start span.
It’s what happened since that makes those two months feel like a tease. Bradley is 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA in 15 starts since July 31. That’s not uncommon for a young pitcher, but it is surprising for a pitcher of Bradley’s potential.
Cash gave Bradley every opportunity to pitch his way back into good graces in what would become a 6-3 New York win. He let him pitch to Aaron Judge with runners on second and third and one out in the fifth (Judge walked) before Cody Bellinger drove in a run with a fielder’s choice.
He stuck with him after giving up a walk and a single to begin the sixth and even let him pitch to Cabrera again after the Yankees third baseman had touched him for a single and the homer in two previous at-bats (Cabrera walked).
Was this meant to be a growing experience, or was Bradley just the best pitcher to be on the mound at those moments?
“I’d say it was more the right move in the moment,” Cash said. “Taj’s development is important. He’s going to continue to get better. But he’s a major-league pitcher and a really good one at that.
“If I would have seen a velocity drop or the strike zone eluding him leading up to that, maybe it’s a different conversation. But I felt totally comfortable with where he was at.”
Intentional or not, this was another chance for Bradley to grow. To learn. To become the pitcher that the Rays are certain he will be.
In another five or six days, he’ll be back on the mound.
And we’ll still be expecting wondrous things.
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
