The first phone call came around 2 p.m. The Tigers informed pitcher Dietrich Enns that he was designated for assignment. The left-hander had lost his major league job.
The second call arrived about 3 ½ hours later with the deadline approaching. The Orioles had traded for Enns, consummating the deal under the wire. He was losing significant ground in the standings, going from first place to last, but he avoided a demotion to the minors.
“I probably took just a couple hours to process all of that stuff, I’m guessing,” he said yesterday morning. “I wasn’t sure if I was gonna stick around with Detroit or not, but it was a blessing to be able to get traded over here and have an opportunity here.”
That was merely the first part. Enns had to take advantage of it.
The first outing was rough, with Enns allowing a run and five hits in 1 2/3 innings against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He was scoreless in his next three appearances covering 3 2/3 innings, with two hits, no walks and nine strikeouts.
Dietrich worked the ninth inning yesterday in a rare save situation, because the Orioles are trying everyone. He earned his third major league save and first since 2021 with Tampa Bay, but it was hairy, with the Mariners loading the bases and scoring a run on a ground ball that Jackson Holliday fielded before attempting a 4-3 double play. He only got the force.
The outing left Dietrich with two runs allowed over 6 1/3 innings. He’s walked one, which happened yesterday, and struck out 12. The nine hits contribute to a 1.58 WHIP and .321 opponents’ average, but it’s been a decent return thus far for cash considerations.
It isn’t Ryan O’Hearn territory, of course, but still pretty good.
“It’s been a lot of fun to come in in some close situations and face some really good hitters and lineups,” Enns said. “It’s just really exciting for me to go out there and do my job and help the team win, because we’re just trying to have fun down the stretch, and it’s a fun group. And like we showed (Wednesday) night, winning’s a lot of fun, so I just want to come here and help the team win as much as we can.
“You’re trying to win every game, so it hasn’t really changed for me. I’ve changed a little bit of the roles I was in out of the bullpen with Detroit. I was coming in when we were down or something like that, so it was more like trying to help save the bullpen. And then coming here, you’re coming in late in a tight game, so you’re really trying to get the most out of you that you can and help the team.
“Just wanna go out there and help win games, cause winning is a lot more fun than losing. I wasn’t here to start the year, but coming in here these last couple months, I want to help the team enjoy playing baseball and have fun and win some games.”
Enns, 34, made seven appearances with the Tigers this season, including a pair of starts, and posted a 5.60 ERA in 17 2/3 innings. The two starts came on June 26 and July 3, his first games with Detroit, and the results were mixed – five scoreless innings with one hit allowed against the Athletics and seven earned runs (eight total) and eight hits in four innings in D.C.
The 14 starts with Triple-A Toledo produced a 2.89 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. He walked 15 batters, struck out 71 and surrendered only four home runs.
“I was disappointed to leave because I really liked it with the Tigers,” he said. “They’ve got a great group of guys over there and a great coaching staff, so it was a fun team to be a part of. I didn’t know what to expect coming over here, but they’ve welcomed me with open arms. I’ve been thrown into a role that’s super exciting and I’m really just trying to run with it as much as I can.”
The Orioles really can’t define a set of responsibilities with this group beyond just getting outs. A reliever can be tasked with consuming innings or protecting a slim margin or keeping the score tied in high leverage. Enns replaced Trevor Rogers in the eighth inning Wednesday after the Orioles rallied for a 3-1 lead and didn’t let the Mariners get any closer. He struck out two batters, including major league home run leader Cal Raleigh to strand a runner and earn his second hold.
“It’s more of like I would just say a late-inning role, but yeah, it can be any situation,” Enns said. “That’s kind of what we talked about when I first got over here. And just the ability to be able to go multiple (innings), too, so just kind of preparing for that. I never know if it’s gonna be one or two batters or a couple innings, so for me, it’s just coming in and just going as hard and as long as I can to help the team win.”
Enns struck out Raleigh on a 96 mph four-seam fastball after going changeup, sinker, changeup and changeup. He clenched a fist and yelled, a rare outburst that might become more common as the Orioles keep trusting him in the clutch.
“As a starter you kind of have to curb some of those emotions,” he said. “And being in a longer relief role in the past, the situation might not call for it all the time. But in a situation like that, I couldn’t really help myself. It was just an exciting moment facing one of the game’s best hitters. Being able to get the job done there was just exciting for me.
“Just kind of came out of me. I couldn’t control it. I was just so excited to get the job done there.”
Raleigh pinch-hit yesterday and drew a walk against Enns. The final out came on a ground ball for the tense save. Another closer experiment completed.
Enns is out of options and the bullpen needs an overhaul with four veterans traded and Félix Bautista shut down with an unspecified injury to his right shoulder. Enns is pitching for a spot on next season’s roster.
The splits aren’t typical, with left-handed hitters 15-for-37 against him this season. They were slashing .358/.404/.528 in his first 22 major-league games before yesterday - the first two with the Twins in 2017 and nine with the Rays in 2021. In between were stops in Japan and Korea.
“I think Dietrich Enns is an interesting guy here in ‘25 and going forward,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said earlier this week. “The front office went and grabbed him at the trade deadline. It kind of was an under-the-radar move. And as we’re losing all our guys, and understandably so with how this goes and how this business goes, it didn’t feel good, and then you get something back in Dietrich and you go, ‘OK, that helps a little bit.’ And seeing him throw the ball so far, it’s been pretty good.
“He’s really interesting. And he does give you length. And there’s some neutrality to it, too, with that changeup. So he’s an interesting piece right now.”
* Kyle Bradish made another injury rehab start last night with Triple-A Norfolk and tossed five scoreless innings with two hits, two walks and nine strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches, 49 strikes.
Dylan Beavers played left and right field and had three hits and an RBI. He's batting .305 with a .938 OPS.
Double-A Chesapeake's Creed Willems homered again, giving him 13. He was 3-for-5 with five RBIs.