Game 1: 2-10 L. LP-Beeter (4-4, 2.2 7 5 5 2 2). HR-Cartaya (11). An ugly affair as Beeter was hit hard and then Taj Bradley gave up 5 more to put them well out of it early.
Game 2: 2-0 W. WP-Moran (3-0). S-Diaz (10). HR-J.Jackson (1). Starter-Eldridge (5 6 0 0 1 6). Eldridge and four relievers combined on the shutout and Jeremiah Jackson's 2-run homer in the 7th was all the scoring as the Rays' staff bounced back from the previous night's debacle.
Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Fairbanks (3-0). Starter-Orze (4 3 0 0 1 3, 82 pitches). HR-Albies (11), Franco (9). The Albies & Franco homers gave them a 3-0 which Fairbanks lost in the 6th giving up a 3-run homer to the first man he faced, but he vultured the win when Max Viera doubled in a run to restore the lead and they tacked on three more from there.
Team record: 36-19, 9 up on the now second-place Yankees. Next up: Back home for some interleague action as 30-22 St. Louis visits the Trop for three.
Some transactions: First, we claimed reliever Trey Riley on waivers from Atlanta. Riley has 60 stuff, 65 movement and 70 control and I see him as an upgrade over free-agent-to-be Chris Gau. But Eldridge, Swanda and German are the only pitchers with options meaning I'd have to deal or waive somebody to make room for Riley. They're all too good to waive so I shopped Gau and while I didn't find a deal that impressed me for him I did notice the Giants were offering Elijah Green and it turns out they were just looking to get rid of him. So this swap was made:
Jimenez is more suspect than prospect with major control problems and won't be missed. Green meanwhile has a questionable hit tool but is an elite (70-rated) CF who in this universe was the #1 overall pick in 2022, didn't sign with Baltimore, went to college and was taken 18th overall in 2025 by the Giants. The hit tool has never developed (40 current/45 potential) but he does sport 55/60 power and 70 speed. He'll report to Durham for now as he was in AAA this season after hitting 243/299/402 for the Giants in 70 games last year.
Meanwhile I'm going to hold off activating Riley for now until I can either make room or room is made with an injury as I have 7 days to figure it out.