Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here.

Everyone loves an underdog story, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better one this year than 34-year-old Tigers lefty Dietrich Enns.

Drafted in the 19th round out of Central Michigan in 2012 by the Yankees, Enns spent five years in the Minors with New York before being dealt to the Twins for Jaime García at the 2017 Trade Deadline and making his big league debut in a start against the Brewers less than two weeks later.

Enns wouldn’t make another start in the Major Leagues until yesterday — a span of  2,877 days — when he tossed five scoreless innings against the A’s, allowing just one hit to pick up his first win since 2021. It was also his first big league appearance of any kind in 1,371 days.

“But who’s counting?” Enns joked.

In between, he spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons pitching in Japan, and last year he went 13-6 with a 4.19 ERA in 30 starts in Korea.

“Both Japan and Korea were amazing experiences for me,” Enns said. “They expect a lot from you over there, and you just learn a lot. … I think going over there just made me a more complete pitcher.”

His time overseas was enough to earn him a Minor League deal and an invite to Spring Training with the Tigers, and it was there that Enns learned a “kick change” from Detroit pitching director Gabe Ribas.

“Early in Spring Training, they were like, ‘Hey, try this out,’” Enns said. “I really liked the shape right away, and then they just gave me some confidence to go out there and throw it. That really helped a lot.”

Enns responded by posting a 2.89 ERA, 10.3 K/9 and a 40 percent whiff rate in 14 starts with Triple-A Toledo. That trend continued in his spot start Thursday, when the lefty got 14 whiffs against the A’s, who were only able to get two balls out of the infield against him.

“That was incredible,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Good for him, and obviously good for our team and good for the organization. A lot of people contributed to this moment, but Dietrich stayed under control, stayed within himself from all the excitement and delivered a great performance when we really needed it.”

— Ed Eagle

The Big Dumper is going to the Derby.

Cal Raleigh, who leads the Majors with 32 home runs, announced today that he’s entering this year’s Home Run Derby.

The Mariners slugger is the second player to reveal his Derby participation, joining Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., who’ll be the hometown hero with the All-Star Game in Atlanta. The other six of the eight contestants are still a mystery.

Raleigh is on pace for an incredible 65 home runs this season. There’s literally no one better for the Home Run Derby right now.

Raleigh will try to be the first catcher to win a Home Run Derby, and the first Mariners player to win a Derby since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999. Raleigh might even switch-hit during the Derby, which only Adley Rutschman has done.

The 2025 Home Run Derby is Monday, July 14, at Truist Park and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

— David Adler

• Phillies at Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): After taking on the division-leading Mets for the past two weeks, the Phillies (a half-game back of first) and the Braves begin a three-game set tonight in Atlanta. Both starters, Philly rookie Mick Abel and Atlanta righty Bryce Elder, will look to rebound after getting hit hard in their previous outings.

• Mariners at Rangers (8:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Nathan Eovaldi is set to make his first start in a month after going on the IL with right triceps fatigue. In five May starts (his last one was cut short due to the injury), the righty produced a 0.68 ERA and fanned 27. One note about tonight’s game: Raleigh went deep off Eovaldi in their last meeting in April.

• Cubs at Astros (8:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Making his first trip to H-Town since he was dealt to the Cubs in the offseason, Kyle Tucker returns to his old digs tonight. Expect a warm applause for the former Astros All-Star, who helped deliver a World Series title in 2022 and won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award during his seven years with the club.

Much like the scouts of your favorite team, our MLB Pipeline crew has been working diligently to learn as much as possible about as many prospects as they can before the 2025 Draft, which begins just a couple weeks from now on Sunday, July 13.

Our Draft prospect rankings are now 250 deep, and with the College World Series and Draft Combine now both in the rearview, this is as good of a time as any to present our staff’s latest predictions of who will be selected — and where — in the first round.

The Nationals have the top pick, and for much of the pre-Draft runup our folks have had them going with our No. 1 ranked prospect — Oklahoma high school infielder Ethan Holliday, who also happens to be the son of former All-Star slugger Matt Holiday and the brother of Orioles second baseman (and potential first-time All-Star) Jackson, who was taken fist overall himself in 2022.

But in Jonathan Mayo’s latest Mock Draft, there’s a new 1-1: Louisiana State left-hander Kade Anderson. Our No. 2 prospect made an incredible final impression, tossing a 130-pitch shutout in a 1-0 win over Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the College World Series finals last weekend.

As for Holiday, Mayo has him dropping to No. 4 to the Rockies, who drafted his dad in the seventh round 27 years ago. For a look at all of Mayo’s projected first-round picks, check out the latest mockup here.

— Ed Eagle

Thunder Valley is slowly starting to morph into a big league ballpark.

Bristol Motor Speedway will be the center of the baseball world on Aug. 2, when the Braves and Reds square off for the nationally televised MLB Speedway Classic at 7:15 p.m. ET on FOX. But first, the iconic 64-year-old NASCAR venue must be transformed into a diamond befitting the world’s best players, and that work is already well underway.

Pit walls, poles, gas pumps and even part of a building had to be taken out to make room for the ballfield, which will measure 330 feet down the lines, 400 feet to center, 375 feet to the right-field alley and 384 feet to the left-field alley and be situated between Turns 3 and 4 of the track and infield of the speedway.

More than 17 tons of gravel was brought in to level the ground, plus 340 tons of clay. The synthetic grass will be the same that’s used at Rogers Centre in Toronto. In addition to the field preparation, clubhouses must also be built for each team.

“A lot of things had to take place to open up the area,” said Steve Swift, senior vice president of Speedway Motorsports Operations, adding that it’s “basically not a race track anymore.”

Tickets for the first regular-season game in National League/American League history played in Tennessee are on sale now through Ticketmaster, starting at just $50 (plus sales tax & fees).

— Ed Eagle

Can you Beat the Streak? Try to top Joe DiMaggio’s record hitting streak of 56 games by selecting a player each day to record a hit. If you get to 57, you can win $5.6 million. Plus, new for this year, a chance to win unique weekly prizes.

If you’re wondering who might be a good pick, can’t go wrong with Ronald Acuña Jr. The Braves superstar has been on a tear since returning from the IL, and he’s hitting .442 over his last 15 games entering tonight’s action.

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