After Simultaneous Sweeps, Rockies are Only Thing Keeping Giants Out of Cellar

In the race to be the worst in the West, the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants seem to be locked in a showdown of shared apathy in this season

Giants outfielder Turner Hill, on base against the Rockies | Credit: D. Ross Cameron | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's official. The race for last place is on, as two lame horses attempt to be the worst in the West. With just a shade over one month of baseball left to play, the season-ending sprint into sadness is on between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. And no one looks forward to a photo finish like this.

After a weekend that saw both squads get swept, the disastrous duo is separated by just two games in the standings. San Francisco is 52-78 and trails the National League West Division leaders and two-time defending World Series winner, the Los Angeles Dodgers, by 27.5 games in the standings

Concurrently, the Rox now sit at 50-80 after Sunday's loss to Cleveland and trail even the lowly Giants by two games. Both teams are hurtling toward 100 losses. And even if they don't hit triple digits in the 'L' column, they've both been out of contention since essentially late May.

It was business as usual for San Fran in their series with Boston. They ruined Rafael Devers' return and dramatic home run in Beantown on Friday; they blew a terrific start by rookie Blade Tidwell and lost on a crazy comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday; then they saw their starter labor through a tough start on Sunday. So, they basically ran the gamut of particular ways to lose. The only sad scenario that they didn't face was being shut out.

Saturday's game is probably the best example of how the season has gone for Frisco. Tidwell had the best start of his young MLB career, yet the Giants found a way to blow the game in a walk-off loss. As the team builds for the future, it's hard for young talent to be encouraged when they are being dealt psychological blows like that. As an organization, they need to have a foundation under the feet of their future stars, but right now, the ground is quaking in San Francisco.

“A heartbreaking loss," Giants first-year manager Tony Vitello said after Saturday's game, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. "There's no other way to put it”

Will the Giants Finish Last?

Giants manager Tony Vitello | Credit: Robert Edwards | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As hard as it may be to believe, the Giants and their nearly $230 million payroll are on the verge of one of the most economically unsuccessful years in MLB history. They have invested heavily in big-name stars like Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, only to find out those names don't hold much weight at the plate in 2026.

And for their underachievement alone, San Francisco has earned a last-place finish. The Rockies have the excuse of youth and inexperience on their side. The Giants, on the other hand, have just played flat, uninspired baseball all year long. That's a lot less acceptable, especially in a city where the fan base expects October baseball on an annual basis.