Taj Bradley Underdog MLB Picks Today, 9/22: Baseball Projections + More

Tuesday's top two Underdog plays feature the Twins' strikeout leader facing an injury-ravaged Giants lineup and a rookie sensation lining up for a possible postseason start after a career-best stretch, for Underdog Fantasy. Before you lock in your Higher or Lower calls, cross-check the numbers with our MLB Player Prop Tool and track how our staff is doing on the board with the MLB Expert Picks Tracker.

Taj Bradley MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher than 6.5 Strikeouts

Bradley has been a career-best story for Minnesota, backing an 11-6 record and 3.81 ERA with 199 strikeouts across 172.1 innings while holding opponents to a .216 batting average, and he threw the first immaculate inning in franchise history on August 25. His last outing against the Angels produced seven innings and three earned runs. San Francisco is dealing with a wave of injuries to key hitters, and the Giants' strikeout rate against right-handed pitching has climbed to an elite 31.4 percent over the last two weeks, the best matchup number on the entire board. That combination of a genuinely depleted opponent and a strikeout leader riding a career year gives him a clear path to clearing this number.

Payton Tolle MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher than 5.5 Strikeouts

Tolle struck out 12 over six innings in his last start against Kansas City, his third double-digit strikeout outing of the season, and he carries a 2.44 ERA over his last eight starts. Boston has intentionally lined up its rotation with Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez in this series to set up rest ahead of the Wild Card Series, a sign the club views him as a potential Game 1 or Game 2 starter. This will be his first career look at Cleveland, and his own swing-and-miss dominance has been strong enough to override modest matchups all season, including 18 strikeouts across two starts against the Yankees earlier this year. That combination of elite recent form and a big-stage setup gives him a real path to clearing this number.

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