Giants’ Rotation Plans Take Shape for Final Series Against Dodgers

The San Francisco Giants aren't going to go quietly into the offseason as they'll look to derail some momentum for the Los Angeles Dodgers going into the postseason.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Wilkinson (71) throws a pitch. Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The end of the 2026 regular season is upon the San Francisco Giants and just when they thought they could go into the offseason with their heads held high, the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, are coming into town to close out the year.

2026 hasn't been the season the Giants wanted; going into the year with Wild Card aspirations and ending with close to 100 losses isn't ideal. However, there are three games left and three games for the young players on the roster to make a statement.

No better team to make a statement against than the Dodgers. The rivalry may be in Los Angeles' favor this season, but whenever San Francisco goes up against LA, the games are bound to be competitive and must-watch, even with how banged up the Giants' roster is for the series.

Manager Tony Vitello doesn't have a handful of experienced players left at his disposal, but he does have a handful of youthful players looking to make a name for themselves. The last home series has two starting pitchers set, with the final game of the season still up in the air.

Game 1 - Yunior Marte

San Francisco Giants pitcher Yunior Marte (87) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Set to get the series started, the Giants will send right-handed pitcher Yunior Marte to the mound. Marte has experience against the Dodgers, having pitched against them in his last outing, in which he allowed six earned runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings.

Marte, overall, hasn't pitched poorly in the small sample size but has areas of his arsenal that he needs to fine-tune. Going against the Dodgers on Friday, Marte has to focus on throwing strikes rather than getting hitters to chase out of the zone, given he holds a 1.40 WHIP in four games, two starts with the franchise.

Game 2 - Matt Wilkinson

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Wilkinson (71) warms up before the game. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The projected game two starter for the Giants is left-hander Matt Wilkinson. Wilkinson has emerged as a candidate to make the 2027 starting rotation for San Francisco, especially with how he's pitched in the month of September.

In four games, Wilkinson has pitched in 13 innings and holds a 2.77 ERA in September, with his most recent outing coming against the Dodgers, where he pitched five innings, allowed three hits, no runs, no walks, and struck out six hitters.

Holding a 3.65 ERA into his final start of the 2026 season, his 2027 campaign (assuming there's baseball to be played), should have high expectations for a young pitcher in the rotation.