The SF Giants dropped three of four games against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field over the weekend. They really needed to split the series at the very least, but failed to do so. Nevertheless, they still remain in the playoff picture even if the odds are unfavorable.
What are the SF Giants playoff odds following Colorado Rockies series?
I do not think the organization can hang its cap on the fact that they are playing competitive games until the final week of the season. When Farhan Zaidi took over as president of baseball operations, that was the initial goal with a roster that was both underperforming and costly.
Zaidi is finishing his fifth season as the head of the front office and the expectations have understandably changed. So, while a playoff birth might change the outlook of the year, they still appear to be a fringe playoff team rather than a true contender. That needs to change quickly as Zaidi could enter next season in a lame-duck position.
The Giants reached a soft spot on the schedule starting in the second week of September. This included seven games against the Rockies in a stretch of 10 games. The other three were against the Cleveland Guardians.
They took advantage of the first part of that schedule, winning three straight against the Rockies and two of three against the Guardians. That said, losing three of four against the Rockies is really a tough setback.
This is compounded by the fact that the remaining 12 games include seven against the Los Angeles Dodgers and two against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants had an opportunity to bank more wins before the final stretch, but unfortunately, they just could not pull through.
They still have an outside shot at the playoffs. According to Fangraphs, their playoff odds stand a 13.6 percent. Obviously, the only avenue to reach the postseason is through the Wild Card as the Dodgers have already clinched the NL West.
Those are pretty low odds, but five teams are vying for the final two Wild Card spots at the moment. The Giants are two games behind the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs for the third Wild Card spot. That is a lot of ground to make up with less than two weeks to go.
However, the Giants dug themselves into that position. They are 30-38 since the start of July, so they have not really played like a playoff team for some time. The odds say they still have a chance, but it is hard to believe with how they have performed over a pretty long stretch of the season.