Let the collaborations between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers begin!

The Dodgers quietly made a surprising declaration Wednesday night when they added a crossover Luka Dončić bobblehead in collaboration with their sister team, the Los Angeles Lakers, to their upcoming promotional nights.

The Dodgers will be giving away the Dončić bobblehead to the first 40,000 fans who attend the Friday, August 21, game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tickets for the game are currently ranging between $87–$2,338.

The Dončić bobblehead features the Slovenian baller dribbling a basketball while decked out in his Lakers uniform as he poses on a Dodgers platform.

It’s not unheard of for sports teams to have collaboration bobbleheads with other teams. Indeed, the Dodgers are giving away a Shaquille O’Neal bobblehead on Saturday, June 30, when they host the Baltimore Orioles. On July 11, they’re also collaborating with the neighboring soccer team Los Angeles Football Club by giving away a Son Heung-Min bobblehead.

But what makes the Dončić bobblehead a standout is that it will come out about a month before NBA Training Camp begins and will also mark the first full season of Dodgers owner Mark Walter being the majority owner of the Lakers.

In October, 2025, Walter made a splash in Los Angeles when he was approved as the majority owner of the Lakers.

Since then, he’s been tasked with doing to the Lakers what he did with the Dodgers: Bringing them back to their former glory.

In November, ESPN reported that Walter would be bringing in top Dodgers team president Andrew Friedman as a consultant to Lakers president of basketball operations.

When Walter bought the Dodgers in May 2012, he inherited a historic franchise that had fallen on hard times. In his first full season as owner in 2013, the Dodgers made it all the way to the NLCS, and would then make it to back-to-back World Series in 2017 and 2018, instilling that the glory days of the Dodgers were returning.

Over the last six years, the Dodgers have won three World Series and are on the verge of winning back-to-back-to-back contests, becoming the first professional sports team to do so since the Lakers did from 2000–2002.

For the past 14 years, the Dodgers have been considered one of the best-run organizations in baseball as they have consistently been at the top of merchandise sales, fan attendance, consistently bolstered one of the best farm systems, and have created top fan experiences in baseball.

While it’s just a bobblehead, the messaging by the Dodgers corporation makes it clear: They’re going to do for the Lakers what they did with the Dodgers.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

The Minnesota Twins looked to secure their third series sweep of the season, this time in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. The Twins offense continued their being hot from Tuesday night and the bullpen didn’t screw it up too much while the Rangers made a valiant effort.

The game started off on the right foot as Trevor Larnach and Kody Clemens each got on base with a single in the top of the first off of Texas starter Jack Leither. Believe it or not, with two outs, Josh Bell got a grounder through the infield to bring in Larnach and Brooks Lee put the Twins ahead big with a three-run shot to give Minnesota a cushy 4-0 lead before the home team got to the bat rack.

Larnach made another contribution in the fourth inning with a homer of his own, this one of the two-run variety, which knocked Leiter out of the game after the end of the inning with a 6-0 Twins lead. Minnesota struck again in the sixth with another Larnach contribution – this time an RBI single off of southpaw Robby Ahlstrom – to bring the score to 7-0. A Ryan Kreidler homer in the top of the eighth off of Cal Quantrill added two more runs to the Twins’ total.

Meanwhile, Joe Ryan labored through his start today. He limited the Rangers to three hits, a couple of free passes, and notched seven strikeouts, dropping his ERA below 3. However, he only went through five innings today on 97 pitches. He used his four-seam fastball much more compared to his other starts this season. Justin Lawrence was called in for the sixth and allowed two solo homers to Wyatt Langford and Ezequiel Duran, but otherwise escaped unscathed.

The bullpen escaped a couple of jams in the seventh and eighth innings, keeping the heart rates of Twins Territory up just a little bit more than normal. Cody Laweryson allowed a homer to Justin Foscue, but finished out the game without allowing any more runs, securing the sweep for the Twins with a 9-3 win.

W: Joe Ryan (5-3)
L: Jack Leiter (3-7)

STUDS

• Joe Ryan: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K
• Trevor Larnach: 3-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR
• Brooks Lee: 1-5, R, 3 RBI, HR
• Ryan Kreidler: 1-2, R, 2 RBI
• Victor Caratini: 3-4, 2 R

duds

• zero duds; tWIMs

COTG

Brandon gets the honors for suggesting a schedule alteration for the rest of the Twins season.

The Twins travel to the desert for a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Connor Prielipp (2-4, 5.26 ERA) answers the call for the Twins while veteran Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.11 ERA) will go for the D-backs. Put on the pot of coffee (or do a keg stand and keep the party going) as game time is 845p Central.

Thank you for your time!

Two of the myriad Mets on the Injured List will begin their rehab assignments on the way back to the majors this weekend, as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies will host both Francisco Lindor and Tyrone Taylor starting on Friday.

Lindor has been on the IL since April 23 with a calf strain, a similar, but more severe, version of the injury that had Juan Soto on the shelf earlier this season. Lindor’s injury has affected the Mets in many ways, whether it is on the defenisve side of the game, necessitating a positional shift from Bo Bichette and some appearances from quad-A players like Vidal Brujan and Zack Short, or the lack of a keystone bat in the middle of their lineup.

The five-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and four time Silver Slugger was hitting .226/.314/.355 to start the season.

When Lindor is ready to play, there’s no doubt that he will be a regular part of the Mets’ lineup going forward. That is less likely for Taylor, who already lost playing time to A.J. Ewing when he was called up on May 12. Taylor, a glove-first outfielder with limited offensive potential, is in his age 32 season, was hitting just .186/.210/.320 when he went down on May 26 with a hip flexor injury.

Since both MJ Melenedez and Eric Wagaman still have minor league options, it seems likely that one of them would be sent down to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Taylor, at least in the interim.

The Rumble Ponies face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 7:05pm. The game will be available to stream on MiLB.tv.

The Texas Rangers scored three runs while the Minnesota Twins scored nine runs.

Just passing through to say the Rangers lost.

The Twins hit a home run in the first inning of each game in this series.

The Twins never trailed in any of the 27 innings in this series.

The Twins won each game in this series by an average of like five runs.

The Rangers were outscored 25-7 in this series.

Jack Leiter allowed six runs in four innings, including four runs in the first inning.

Alrighty, back to watching the World Cup.

Player of the Game: Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran, and Justin Foscue each hit a solo home run so take your pick.

Up Next: With today’s game the Rangers have ignited a hellish stretch of 15 games in 15 days that will take them through June. Next up in that stretch is a home series against the Padres. RHP Jacob deGrom will pitch for Texas in the opener against RHP Randy Vásquez for San Diego.

The Friday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and you can catch the game on the Rangers Sports Network.

Mets lineup

Carson Benge – RF
Bo Bichette – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Jared Young – 1B
A.J. Ewing – CF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Brett Baty – 3B
MJ Melendez – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Sean Manaea – LHP

Phillies lineup

Trea Turner – SS
Kyle Schwarber – DH
Bryce Harper – 1B
Alec Bohm – 3B
Brandon Marsh – RF
Edmundo Sosa – LF
Bryson Stott – 2B
J.T. Realmuto – C
Derek Hill – CF

SP: Aaron Nola – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 6:40 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

The Milwaukee Brewers are back on the road, as they’ll head to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series against the NL East’s top team. Milwaukee, fresh off a pair of series wins against the Phillies and Guardians, sits in first place in the NL Central, while the Braves, with a nearly identical record to the Crew, sit ahead of the Phillies in the East.

Milwaukee’s injuries include Brandon Woodruff (expected to return next week), Coleman Crow (July), DL Hall (late July), Logan Henderson (early July), Jared Koenig (could return in the next week), Rob Zastryzny (late June/early July), Brian Fitzpatrick (likely out for the season), Carlos Rodriguez (TBD), and season-ending injuries to pitchers Quinn Priester and Angel Zerpa. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is also nearing a rehab assignment, meaning we could see him in late June/early July.

Atlanta is currently without pitchers Spencer Strider (TBD), Joe Jiménez (out for season), AJ Smith-Shawver (out until at least late 2026), Spencer Schwellenbach (late 2026), Danny Young (post-All-Star break), and Joey Wentz (out for season). Infielder Kyle Farmer is out with a forearm strain, catcher Sean Murphy is out until late July with a fractured finger, outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is eligible to return this weekend (though it’s unclear if he’ll be ready at the 10-day mark), and outfielder Michael Harris II is listed as day to day with back tightness.

Jake Bauers leads Milwaukee’s offense with 13 homers, though Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio aren’t far behind at 11 and 10, respectively. Chourio has been the best hitter on the team since returning from injury, hitting over .300 over his 38 games. Gary Sánchez and William Contreras have also provided some pop behind the plate, and Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, Andrew Vaughn, Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton, and rookie Cooper Pratt round out the squad. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .254/.340/.395 (.735 OPS ranks eighth), with 67 homers (26th), 383 runs (third), and 72 steals (third).

Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin are raking for the Braves, as Olson is hitting .276/.346/.552 with a team-high 20 homers and 19 doubles, and Baldwin, a Wisconsin native who missed the last few weeks, has 14 homers and is slashing .298/.381/.540 after winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2025. Harris has also had a resurgence, while Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley also provide some pop. Ha-Seong Kim, Mauricio Dubón, Mike Yastrzemski, and Dominic Smith round out the starters, with former Brewer Rowdy Tellez, Eli White, Jorge Mateo, and Sandy León serving as depth. As a team, the Braves are hitting .254/.320/.423 (.743 OPS ranks sixth), with 97 homers (sixth), 366 runs (sixth), and 39 steals (tied for 22nd).

Aaron Ashby leads Milwaukee’s bullpen with 33 appearances, pitching to a 2.80 ERA, perfect 10-0 record, and 61 strikeouts over 45 innings. Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Chad Patrick round out the Brewers’ “A” bullpen, while Craig Yoho, Joel Kuhnel, and Drew Rom are the “B” bullpen, with Grant Anderson fitting somewhere in the middle. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.43 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.39 starter ERA (fourth) and a 3.48 bullpen ERA (ninth). They’ve struck out 708 batters (first) over 645 1/3 innings.

Dylan Lee leads Atlanta’s bullpen with 33 appearances, pitching to a stellar 1.14 ERA with 40 strikeouts over 31 2/3 innings. Just about all of their bullpen has been great, in face, as closer Raisel Iglesias (1.16 ERA) is perfect across 14 save chances, Robert Suarez (0.59 ERA) has allowed just two runs over 30 2/3 innings, and Didier Fuentes (2.25 ERA over 28 IP), Reynaldo López (3.76 ERA over 40 2/3 IP), Dylan Dodd (2.08 ERA over 17 1/3 IP), James Karinchak (0.00 ERA over 3 IP), and Carlos Carrasco (3.46 ERA over 13 IP) have also been solid. As a staff, the Braves have a 3.39 team ERA (third), including a 3.73 starter ERA (fifth) and a 2.91 bullpen ERA (first). They’ve struck out 630 batters (12th) over 649 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, June 19 @ 6:15 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (8-2, 1.34 ERA, 1.68 FIP) vs. LHP Martín Pérez (5-3, 2.90 ERA, 3.82 FIP)

Misiorowski continues to dominate all opponents, as he’s among league leaders in just about every major category to this point. He leads the league in ERA (1.34), FIP (1.68), WHIP (1.68), and strikeouts (131) across 87 innings over 14 starts this season. He’s coming off the best start of his career, as he threw a 95-pitch complete game shutout with just one hit allowed and 15 strikeouts, also facing the minimum thanks to a double play. This marks Miz’s first career start against the Braves.

Pérez, 35, is in his 15th MLB season and with his seventh team, as he’s had a resurgence with the Braves this year. An All-Star for the first and only time in 2022 with Texas, Pérez has been about as good as he was that season, pitching to a 2.90 ERA, 3.82 FIP, and 51 strikeouts over 62 innings this season. He’s earned the win in each of his last three outings, allowing six runs over 15 1/3 innings (3.52 ERA) on 11 hits and six walks while striking out 11. Pérez has made five career appearances (four starts) against Milwaukee, with an 0-3 record, 8.54 ERA, and 16 strikeouts over 26 1/3 innings.

Saturday, June 20 @ 3:10 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.47 ERA, 3.05 FIP) vs. LHP Chris Sale (8-5, 2.30 ERA, 2.82 FIP)

If Harrison pitched for just about any other team, he’d be considered the ace of the staff. Thanks to Miz, however, he’s a measly No. 2, even with an 8-1 record, 2.47 ERA, and 3.05 FIP this year. He’s struck out 80 batters over 65 2/3 innings spanning 13 starts, and he also has solid peripherals. He’s coming off a nice bounce-back outing against the Phillies, outpitching Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sánchez as he went six scoreless innings with three hits, a hit batter, and no walks allowed, striking out three on 80 pitches. Harrison’s only appearance against Atlanta came while he was with the Giants in 2024, as he went five innings and allowed three runs on six hits and two walks, striking out six in a no-decision.

Sale, 37, is another lefty veteran for Atlanta, as he’s in his 16th MLB season with his third team. The NL Cy Young winner in 2024, Sale has a 2.30 ERA, 2.82 FIP, and 92 strikeouts over 78 1/3 innings this season. He’s coming off back-to-back losses, though, as he allowed five runs over 11 1/3 innings (3.97 ERA) on 16 hits and three walks, striking out 12 against the Blue Jays and White Sox. Sale is a perfect 2-0 over five career appearances against Milwaukee, with a 1.89 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings.

Sunday, June 21 @ 12:35 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (0-3, 4.88 ERA, 6.10 FIP) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (5-4, 3.15 ERA, 3.75 FIP)

Gasser, who had a great start to his career in 2024, hasn’t quite found the same magic in 2026, though he is coming off his best start of the year. While he has an 0-3 record, 4.88 ERA, 6.10 FIP, and 24 strikeouts over 24 innings this year, he looked much better than those numbers indicate against the Guardians on Tuesday night, tossing 5 2/3 scoreless frames with two hits and two walks allowed, striking out five on 92 pitches as he took the no-decision in a 2-1 victory. This marks Gasser’s first career start against the Braves.

Elder, 27, is in his fifth MLB season, all with the Braves. After earning an All-Star selection in 2023, he struggled in 2024 and 2025, but he’s bounced back nicely thus far in 2026. Across 15 starts, Elder has a 3.15 ERA, 3.75 FIP, and 73 strikeouts over 88 2/3 innings. He got roughed up against the Mets in his last appearance, allowing six runs on 10 hits and two walks with just two strikeouts over four-plus innings in an 8-1 loss. Elder has made four career starts against Milwaukee, with a 2-1 record, 4.30 ERA, and 18 strikeouts over 23 innings.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, June 19: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, June 20: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, June 21: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

This will be a fun series featuring a few high-profile pitching matchups, two solid offenses, and two division-leading squads. I’ll give the Braves home-field advantage as they take two of three.

Last night the Cubs were able to take a series from the Colorado Rockies after winning 8-6 at Wrigley Field. However, the devil was really in the details of this particular victory. The Cubs were up 8-2 when the game was turned over to the bullpen, who surrendered a total of four runs in the final two frames to make what had looked like a comfortable victory look a lot closer by the end.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Cubs are going to have to win quite a few more games by putting a lot of crooked numbers on the board. They have been absolutely devastated by pitching injuries to this point in 2026. Despite heroic performances moving from the bullpen (or the minors) into the rotation from Ben Brown, Colin Rea and Javier Assad, the hits just keep coming for the starting rotation and the pen. Just look at this:

This isn’t new territory for the 2026 Chicago Cubs. Honestly, the theme of 2026 might as well be pitchers on the injured list on the North Side of Chicago. The problem is that the elite run creation the team put up in March and April really fell off a cliff as the calendar turned to May and unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s recovered so far in June:

June looks a little bit better than May on the W/L front, but the run differential tells a different story. It still looks like the offensive juggernaut that existed during the early part of the season has completely collapsed. Not only are the Cubs scoring fewer runs per game, their pitching is giving up more runs than they gave up early in the season.

I’d love last night’s 8-spot against the Rockies to be a signal that the Cubs offense has turned a corner. With closer Daniel Palencia joining pretty much all of what was supposed to be the preseason A-bullpen on the injured list, it’s hard to see a path for this Cubs team to put many W’s on the board unless they score more. It doesn’t seem particularly realistic to expect a rotation of number four and five starters, followed by a bullpen of guys who were supposed to be used in cleanup duty and middle relief to win games without substantially more offense than the Cubs have seen in the last month and half.

Barring a trade, the pitching ranks in Chicago look pretty thin. Fortunately, Matthew Boyd is heading out on a rehab assignment this weekend. Maybe he will be back to help the club within a week or so. They sure could use all the run-prevention help they can get.

Box Score

The Brewers were unable to complete a sweep of the Guardians on Thursday afternoon, as Cleveland stayed in the game all day before pulling ahead and ultimately winning 4-2 behind three solo homers.

Shane Drohan worked around a one-out walk in the first, while Parker Messick set the Brewers down in order in the bottom of the frame.

Cleveland had some traffic in the second, as Kyle Manzardo was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Gabriel Arias, but Drohan settled in to record a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to escape the mini-jam.

The Brewers mounted their own threat in the bottom of the second, as Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers reached on a walk and single, respectively. Gary Sánchez then brought in the first run of the afternoon on a single just out of reach of second baseman Travis Bazzana, giving Milwaukee a 1-0 lead and putting runners at the corners with no outs.

Blake Perkins followed with a groundout to third, as Arias went home with it to get Bauers trying to score. Cooper Pratt then struck out on a pitch over his head, and Joey Ortiz nearly extended the lead with a hard liner, but right fielder Kahlil Watson — in his MLB debut — made a nice diving catch to keep the score at 1-0.

After Bazzana grounded out to begin the third, Drohan got into a nine-pitch battle with David Fry, who ultimately slugged a homer over the wall in left-center, just out of reach of Perkins, tying things up at 1-1.

Drohan’s third-inning troubles continued, as he gave up a single and walk with one out, but he was able to keep the game tied with a pair of groundouts.

Christian Yelich hit a ground-rule double to begin the third but would be stranded on the basepaths as Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and Jake Bauers all struck out.

After Drohan bounced back for a 1-2-3 fourth, the Brewers regained the lead in the bottom of the inning. Sánchez drew a walk, Perkins doubled, and Pratt hit a sac fly to make it 2-1 Brewers.

Drohan worked another scoreless fifth, and that marked the end of his day. It was a solid albeit inefficient day for the rookie lefty, as he went five innings with one run allowed on three hits and three walks, striking out three on 91 pitches.

Joel Kuhnel took over for the Brewers in the sixth and gave up a game-tying solo homer to Manzardo on a 1-1 cutter he left over the plate.

Messick kept the tie intact in the bottom of the sixth, and Cleveland pulled into their first lead of the game — and the series — in the seventh, as Grant Anderson gave up a one-out solo shot to Bazzana, making it 3-2 Guardians. Anderson continued to struggle from there, giving up a pair of walks before inducing a pop-out.

Anderson was then pulled for lefty Drew Rom, who promptly walked Manzardo to load the bases with two outs for Arias. Arias didn’t need to do anything, though, as Rom buried his first pitch in the dirt, a wild pitch that allowed all runners to advance and extending the lead to 4-2 before Arias ultimately struck out.

Against lefty reliever Tim Herrin in the seventh, Pratt drew a leadoff walk but was wiped out by a quick 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Ortiz. Yelich then walked, and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt went to Colin Holderman to face Chourio. After falling behind 0-2 against Holderman, Chourio worked it back to a 2-2 count before reaching on a hit by pitch that (luckily) went off his padding. Turang then followed with a walk of his own, and Vaughn got into a full count but grounded out to short to end the inning, as Brayan Rocchio and Rhys Hoskins both flashed the leather to end the frame.

Rom worked around a single, a balk, a wild pitch, and a walk in the eighth, keeping the deficit at two with Hunter Gaddis entering to pitch.

Gaddis, who gave up the go-ahead homer in Tuesday night’s game, walked Bauers to start things off, but Sánchez and the pinch-hitting Garrett Mitchell — who hit that homer on Tuesday — struck out. Pratt fell behind 0-2 but worked it to 2-2 before lining a single to right, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Vogt didn’t mess around, bringing closer Cade Smith in for Gaddis as he’d have to face the pinch-hitting William Contreras.

Contreras walked on four pitches, meaning Smith would have to face the lefty Yelich with the tying run at second and the go-ahead run at first. Yelich couldn’t make anything of the opportunity, though, as he struck out on four pitches.

Craig Yoho got the ninth inning for Milwaukee, and he gave up a leadoff double to Rocchio but stranded him at third behind a pair of strikeouts and a flyout.

Still facing a 4-2 deficit after a pair of squandered bases-loaded opportunities, the top of Milwaukee’s order would have to mount a rally against the hard-throwing Smith. It wasn’t to be, though, Vaughn was the only player to reach via a four-pitch walk, with Chourio grounding out, Turang striking out, and Bauers flying out.

It was a disappointing loss, as the Brewers had plenty of scoring chances — as a team, Milwaukee went just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base, not ideal for a team that relies so heavily on small ball. They had five hits and nine walks on the afternoon, but they also struck out 13 times.

Sánchez and Pratt both had an RBI in this one, and Vaughn led the team by reaching base three times, all via walk. Yelich, Bauers, Sánchez, and Pratt all had a hit and walk each.

Beyond Drohan, who left in line for the win, Kuhnel took a blown save and Anderson took the loss with two runs allowed in the seventh. Rom and Yoho worked around traffic in the final few innings, allowing no runs and striking out five over 2 1/3 frames, though Rom did allow the inherited runner to cross via his wild pitch.

After a solid 4-2 homestand, the Brewers are headed back on the road as they’ll take on the NL East-leading Braves in Atlanta beginning Friday night. Jacob Misiorowski is on the hill for Friday’s series opener, with veteran lefty Martín Pérez set to start for Atlanta. First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m.