Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley delivered another stellar performance last night against the Cleveland Guardians, pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out eight in a 2-0 victory. Over his last 42 innings, Bradley has allowed only five earned runs, a streak that began on June 8 against the Baltimore Orioles and includes games against the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. Tampa Bay has a 5-2 record in Bradley’s last seven starts.
This season, Bradley is 4-4 with a 2.90 ERA. He missed the first month of the 2024 season due to a pectoral strain, making his debut on May 10 against the New York Yankees, where he gave up one earned run over six innings.
Taj Bradley Career Summary
Since allowing only five earned runs over his last 42 innings (a 1.07 ERA), Bradley has shown significant improvement from his struggles in 2023 when he posted a 5.59 ERA. Drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Bradley has a career record of 9-12 with a 4.53 ERA.
Tampa Bay Rays Season Overview
The Tampa Bay Rays are currently 47-47, sitting fourth in the American League East, 4.5 games behind the final American League Wild Card spot. Recently, the team has been playing better, winning three of their last four games despite a challenging season. Offensively, they rank 20th in batting average, 26th in home runs, and 27th in runs scored. Key contributors include first baseman Yandy Diaz, who leads the team with a .276 batting average, and third baseman Isaac Parades, who has 15 home runs and 50 RBIs.
The pitching staff has also faced difficulties, ranking 22nd in ERA and 20th in batting average against, while surrendering the second-most home runs. The staff is led by starting pitcher Zach Eflin, who has five wins and a 3.99 ERA, and the bullpen ranks 23rd with a 4.35 ERA.
Bradley’s Upcoming Schedule
As the Rays approach the All-Star break, Bradley is expected to pitch in the upcoming four-game series on the road against the New York Yankees. Tampa Bay will close the first half of the season with two afternoon games against the Cleveland Guardians. For the Rays to make the MLB Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, Bradley will need to continue leading a struggling pitching staff, and the offense must improve in the second half of the season.
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