Doolittle (oblique) threw 20 pitches to hitters standing in the box Wednesday and said it went great, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Doolittle returned to a mound Monday and appears to be inching closer to a return, though the team may want to see him throw an actual live batting practice session before activating him. If so, Doolittle may not return until this weekend's series against Seattle, but he should have little trouble reclaiming the closer role once healthy.