Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani slugs a home run off of San Francisco reliever Joel Peguero as catcher Patrick Bailey watches in the bottom of the sixth inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Sat Sep 20, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Despite a great start for the San Francisco Giants (76-79) taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning, they dropped game three to the Los Angeles Dodgers (88-67) 7-5. The Dodgers gobbled up that lead and by the fourth inning had tied up the game.

They took the lead in the fifth inning and never looked back. The Giants only had a single home run, the Dodgers had four home runs in this game. Shohei Ohtani hit his 53 home run of the season.

Game recap: The Giants got a great start in the first inning scoring four runs. Bryce Eldridge doubled to left driving in three runners, clearing the bases. Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos and Willy Adames all scored on the double for a 3-0 lead.

Eldridge would score when Drew Gilbert walked for the fourth run and the Giants had a 4-0 lead. While it was a nice lead it was still very early in the game and we have seen San Francisco go silent after great early innings.

The Dodgers scored a couple of runs in the first inning. Max Muncy homered to right center with Freddie Freeman on base for the two runs. It did not stop there. In the fourth inning Michael Conforto hit a solo home run and the Dodgers trailed the Giants by a single run 4-3. Los Angeles would tie up this game when Freddie Freeman singled Shohei Ohtani home.

The Dodgers hit solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings taking a 6-4 lead. Tommy Edman hit the first one in the fifth and Ohtani hit his 53rd home run of the season in the sixth. Once again the Giants had let a great start slip right through their fingers. After scoring the four run in the first inning they had not scored through the next five innings negating the nice start.

Los Angeles continued to extend their lead scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth taking a 7-4 lead. Teoscar Hernandez singled Mookie Betts home and the Dodgers were rolling.

San Francisco was running out of innings going into the seventh inning. Rafael Devers hit a solo home run in the seventh inning but the Giants needed a whole lot more with only two innings left in the game. They still trailed 7-5. So far both teams had eight hits through seven innings.

The Dodgers took the 7-5 lead into the top of the ninth inning. With the exception of the Devers home run in the seveth inning the Giants offense had gone silent. Devers led off the inning and grounded out.

He was followed by Adames who struck out. Chapman came to the plate, the Giants last hope and lined out. The Dodgers had won the third game of the series 7-5. Los Angeles would be going for a sweep in Sunday’s game four.

Game notes: Saturday night the age-old rivals the Giants and the Dodgers played the third game of their four game series and this one stung as the Giants couldn’t maintain the lead and have now have lost three straight to the Dodgers with game four of the series Sunday.

The Dodgers won the first three games of the series Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Friday was an emotional night for the Dodgers as the incomparable Clayton Kershaw pitched his final regular season game. He left the mound after 5 1/3 innings as the entire stadium recognized his amazing career. The game continued after the ovation and Los Angeles really piled it on in the bottom of the fifth inning taking a 5-2 lead and eventually winning game two 6-3.

Giants starter for Saturday Kai Wei Teng pitched for three innings allowed one hit and two runs with two walks and six strike outs. But it was Joel Peguero the Giants fourth reliever who got touched up pitching 1.2 innings allowing five hits and three runs.

This series will wrap up Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM. Trevor McDonald will take the mound for the Giants. He has a 9.00 ERA. The Dodgers plan on starting Emmet Sheehan. He has a 6-3 win/loss record and a 3.17 ERA.