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. There's never been a high school Draft prospect who throws harder. And there's never been one with a name that goes harder. Get familiar with Jack Bauer, who was named after the terrorist-thwarting main character on the early-2000s series "24," comes armed with a 103 mph fastball and is just 18 years old. That means he was born in 2007, when the show was at the peak of its popularity and a year after it took home the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. The man behind the black leather jackets and bulletproof vests on the show was of course Kiefer Sutherland, who won multiple awards for the role, and who was kind enough to discuss this second coming of Jack Bauer with our own Matt Monagan. Though he's more of a casual baseball fan, Sutherland said he now has "something to root for." |
Luckily Sutherland took no offense (Matt informs us that he's a truly nice guy, but would you want to get on Jack Bauer's bad side?) when he heard that the other Bauer – who has completely leaned into his namesake and wears 24 on the back of his jersey – has actually never seen the show. "I have a feeling he's not gonna find much time very soon," Sutherland said. "When he gets a look at it later in his 30s, I hope he enjoys it." Bauer said he has every intention of doing so one day, but it's true that he'll be a bit preoccupied in the coming weeks. It's no surprise that his 103 mph heat – Sutherland, for his part, said he probably maxed out at around 53 mph in his own baseball career – has caught the attention of scouts, though he remains a bit of an enigma. It's difficult to evaluate high school pitchers, especially one like Bauer, who made a velocity jump from 95 to 103 in just a year's time but still has some control issues. That makes it pretty hard for us to predict where Jack Bauer will go in the Draft. But we do know that the Tigers, who hold the No. 24 pick, have the opportunity to really have some fun. -- Scott Chiusano |
- Mariners @ Yankees (7:05 p.m. ET on MLB.TV, MLB Network): Bryan Woo makes his first start since being named an All-Star for the first time, and if you haven't seen the video of the call he made to his parents to tell them the news, it's well worth the watch. The Yanks are looking for a sweep after finally finding some offense with 19 runs over the first two games of this series.
- Rays @ Red Sox (7:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): The Red Sox open this set against a division rival riding high off a pair of sweeps against the Nats and Rockies, but they'll face a much tougher test in Tampa Bay. Taj Bradley takes the ball for the Rays, and he has won all three of his career starts at Fenway Park, allowing just four runs and striking out 19 over 16 innings.
- Braves @ Athletics (9:05 p.m. ET on MLB.TV): Tonight is both Lawrence Butler's 25th birthday and his bobblehead night, so expect the young slugger to do something awesome, though it'll be hard to top his inside-the-park HR and over-the-fence HR performance in the series opener on Tuesday. The Braves turn to Spencer Strider as they try to win back-to-back games for the first time since June 23-24.
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"Just Italians being Italians," Jac Caglianone said after the Royals broadcast caught the young slugger receiving a double-cheek kiss from fellow friend of the family Vinnie Pasquantino last night. Caglianone had just blasted a Royals rookie record 466-foot mammoth clout that cleared three different walls in center field at Kauffman Stadium, homering for the second straight day. If you've ever seen even one episode of "The Sopranos" (though we do suggest you watch more than one), you're probably familiar with il bacetto, a common form of greeting among Italians and one that Caglianone and Pasquantino have turned into something of a home run celebration.
Pasquantino has already confirmed he'll be returning to represent Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, and if Caglianone decides to join him, they could be sharing espressos and kisses in the dugout while wearing Italia across their chests. Just as the ancient Romans intended.
– Scott Chiusano
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Following in the footsteps of Hall of Famer Bob Lemon and, more recently, former top outfield prospect Anthony Gose, Tyler Naquin is the latest ex-big league position player to try his luck as a pitcher. Known for having one of the best outfield arms in the game, the 34-year-old Naquin decided to head to the mound rather than hang up his spikes after he was released by the White Sox in 2023. The Guardians organization that made him a first-round pick in 2012 gave the right-hander another shot at pro ball. They had seen it work for Gose, who made 31 mound appearances for Cleveland from 2021-24 after appearing in 372 games with the Blue Jays and Tigers, primarily as an outfielder. It's still too early to tell if Naquin will also make it back to the big leagues as a pitcher, but he has shown some early promise, including last night, when he combined a mid-90s fastball with a sharp slider to toss a scoreless inning in his High-A pitching debut. And Naquin isn't the only former slugger looking to make this move. In March, two-time All-Star Joey Gallo announced that he'd be transitioning to the mound as well. – Ed Eagle |
ROOKER THROWS BAT IN RING |
The T-Mobile Home Run Derby has another participant, with A's designated hitter Brent Rooker announcing he is joining the field this afternoon. Rooker has been a revelation for the A's since he was a little-discussed waiver claim in 2022. His 88 homers since the start of the 2023 season are the ninth-most in the Majors over that span, so he can slug with the best of them. With 19 dingers already in 2025, Rooker has a shot to reach the 40 mark for the first time in his career. But on Monday, he'll try to become the third A's player to win a Derby, following in the footsteps of two guys you might have heard of РMark McGwire (1992) and two-time champ Yoenis C̩spedes (2013-14). C̩spedes is actually one of only 4 players to win it more than once. Who are the others? Take our quiz! |
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. Who's hot right now: Keep your eyes on Boston. Jarren Duran is currently on a 10-game hit streak, during which he is batting .351, and faces a right-hander on the mound. His teammate, rookie Roman Anthony, also has seven multi-hit games in his past 11. |
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