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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Dodgers will face the World Series champion Texas Rangers Tuesday evening to begin a six-game homestand, which includes LGBTQ+ Pride Night, Black Heritage Night and Yoshinobu Yamamoto bobblehead and Joe Kelly jersey giveaways.
The Dodgers (41-26) are retuning from a six-game road trip where they won the final game of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and two of three games against the New York Yankees. They had a 6 1/2-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West when they concluded their latest homestand June 2. The Dodgers' lead over the Padres has grown to 7 1/2 games.
Left-hander James Paxton will pitch for the Dodgers on Tuesday against right-hander Dane Dunning. Paxton is 5-1 with a 4.19 ERA. The Dodgers are 8- 3 in his 11 starts.
Paxton, who spent the first 10 seasons of his major league career in the American League before signing with the Dodgers in January, is 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA in 15 lifetime starts against the Rangers. This will be his first appearance against them since 2019.
Dunning is 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA. Texas is 6-4 his 10 starts.
Dunning is 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA in two lifetime starts against the Dodgers, including a 16-3 loss last season when he allowed five runs and seven hits in three innings.
Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani has a .190 average in 21 at-bats against Dunning with no home runs and one RBI.
The Rangers (31-34) are second in the American League West, 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Seattle Mariners and 3 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the race for the third and final American League wild-card berth.
Texas will be making its first appearance at Dodger Stadium since 2021.
The first 40,000 ticketed fans will receive a Joe Kelly No. 99 home jersey. Kelly's 8-year-old son Knox will throw the ceremonial first pitch. Member's of Kelly's family will make the announcement that precedes all home Dodgers games, "It's time for Dodger baseball."
Kelly was placed on the 15-day injured list May 6 because of a right posterior should strain. He is on what manager Dave Roberts described May 31 as a "slow program" and his return is not imminent.
The 7:10 p.m. game will be televised by SportsNet LA.
The Yamamoto bobblehead giveaway will be Thursday in the series finale against the Rangers. LGBTQ+ Pride Night will be Friday in the series opener against the Kansas City Royals and will begin with a party in Centerfield Plaza featuring dance lessons from Stud Country and a music set by DJ Brizzle. A ticket pack including an exclusive 2024 Dodgers LGBTQ+ themed jersey is available.
Black Heritage Night will be celebrated on Saturday, four days before Juneteenth. There will be a yard show performance in Centerfield Plaza by members of various Divine 9 sororities and fraternities and a DJ set by Gusto Funk
A ticket pack including an exclusive black and blue jersey, paying tribute to the rich history of black Dodgers players, is available.