SAN FRANCISCO – When Camilo Doval walked off the diamond after recording a 1-2-3 seventh inning in his first appearance since being re-acquired by the Giants, the crowd rose and cheered.
While the mass of 40,000 at Oracle Park were likely giving him an ovation for a job well done, they were also celebrating history being made. Doval became the 71st player to receive game action for the Giants, tying last year’s Braves for the most players used by a team in MLB history.
If catcher Zach Morgan, who has spent multiple games on the roster but has yet to play for the team he grew up rooting for as a kid from Stockton, steps on the field Sunday, the Giants will own the record.
For Doval, he was just happy to be back “home” after stints with the Yankees and Pirates.
“I’ve gone to different places and I’ve been trying to change, but a the end of the day, I have realized you can’t just change,” Doval said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros. “You’ve got to be who you are. Today, I told myself I’m back at home. Let me be who I am, let me do what I know I can do.”
The Giants lost their season’s penultimate game 4-3 against the visiting Dodgers. The home team used seven pitchers.
San Francisco Giants’ Jonah Cox (53) breaks his bat hitting a foul ball during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Without a single opening day starter or pitcher available, the Giants were outmatched on paper against a star-studded Dodgers lineup that did not lack for name recognition despite Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy being unavailable.
But when Drew Cavanaugh tripled in the seventh inning, the Giants found themselves trailing by only one. In the eighth inning, Turner Hill narrowly missed hitting a leadoff home run to center and settled for a double. Hill moved to third on a wild pitch by Evan Phillips, then scored on a shallow fly ball by Bo Davidson to center to tie the game at 3-3. It was Davidson’s first MLB RBI.
Facing Trent Harris in the ninth inning, Enrique Hernandez made sure that lead did not last long. On Harris’ first pitch, he hit his fourth home run of the season to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead, and give the heavily pro-Dodgers crowd something to cheer about.
Cavanaugh, down to his last strike, doubled with two outs to keep the game alive in the bottom of the ninth. Christian Koss, the last position player left standing from the opening day roster, struck out to strand Cavanaugh at third.
The Giants fell to 65-96 on the season, the Dodger improved to 99-62.
In the first inning, Victor Bericoto laced a ground-rule double to left field off Dodgers starter and former Giant Blake Snell. Then Davidson beat out the lefthander to first base on an infield single to put runners on the corners.
But with traffic on the bases, Snell was able to induce a weak fly ball off the bat of Brett Harris to get out of the jam. Snell finished his day with a final stat line of four innings with five hits and one run allowed on 77 pitches.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 26: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the bottom of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on September 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Giants starter Matthew Wilkinson’s previous start came in Dodger Stadium on Sunday, where he gave up zero earned runs but came away with a no-decision. In the rematch by the Bay, the man named Tugboat threw three innings, gave up one hit, walked one and allowed an earned run. Once again, he had a no-decision.
Wilkinson did not give up a hit until the third inning, but it was a loud one. Mookie Betts slammed a ball over the left field wall to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Wilkinson exited after that in what was expected to be an injury-shortened start.
“The last pitch of the bullpen,” is when Wilkinson said he injured a muscle in his lower back. “Tried to fight through it, and give three innings.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 26: Matt Wilkinson #71 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the top of the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on September 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Giants tied it up in the bottom of the inning, when Jonah Cox doubled, stole third and scored on Hill’s sacrifice fly.
San Francisco inserted reliever Duncan Davitt to begin the fourth inning. It did not go well.
The right-hander gave up three singles, the last of which scored plodding catcher Will Smith from second. Davitt loaded the bases, got one more out and then ceded the mound to Tristan Beck.
Beck’s first pitch resulted in an RBI single for former Stanford star Tommy Edman and a 3-1 Dodgers lead. Despite pulling off the late rally, San Francisco was unable to pull off the come-from-behind victory.
The Giants will finish their season on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. Neither team has named a starter yet, with the Giants planning on making the finale another bullpen game.
“It’ll be a variety of guys,” manager Tony Vitello said. “I don’t think we’ll have a traditional start.”
San Francisco Giants’ Drew Gilbert runs home to score against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)