Colorado Rockies Zac Veen (center) celebrates after scoring on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Aug 16, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026
Oracle Park
San Francisco, California
Colorado Rockies 13 (50-74)
San Francisco Giants 7 (51-73)
Win: Nick Frasso (1-1)
Loss: Sam Hentges (1-5)
Time: 3:08
Attendance: 32,063
By Stephen Ruderman
SAN FRANCISCO–It was a wild one Sunday at Oracle Park, as Blade Tidwell gave up six runs on five walks, and the Rockies ended up pulling away late to take this series, and the season series, with a 13-7 win.
Sunday was an important day. The Giants came into today 6-6 against the Rockies, and they needed a win to take the season series. Hey, the Giants have not lost a season series to the Rockies since 2020. The last thing this team needs is another symbolic reminder of what a nightmare this season has been.
Blade Tidwell would take the ball in his third start of the season. Tidwell had solid starts against the Rangers and Astros, and hoped for another one against the Rockies today.
Tidwell got Jake McCarthy to ground out to start things off. Cole Carrigg drew a one-out walk. and Drew Cavanaugh wasted one of the Giants’ two challenges trying to overturn it. Micky Moniak then pulled a p-rod right into the glove of Bryce Eldridge over at first base, and Eldridge promptly tagged Carrigg out for the double play,
Now, the Giants were up against Gabriel Hughes in the bottom of the first inning. Rafael Devers slashed a double down the left field line with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Though, it was a little close at second. Eldridge fisted a broken-bat base-hit to center field to knock in Devers, who scored without a throw.
The Giants had struck first, but the top of the second wouldn’t be pretty for Tidwell. Willi Castro walked to start the inning. Troy Johnston and Zac Veen both got base-hits, and Castro scored on Veen’s base-hit to tie the game.
We then had a bit of a weird play. Jordan Beck hit a liner to short that was dropped by Christian Koss. However, Koss flipped the ball to second to retire Veen, and then Osleivis Basabe threw the ball to third to retire the lead runner, Johnston. I’m not sure Buddy Kennedy was aware that he needed to tag Johnston, but he did after a slight delay. It was a 6-4-5 double play. You don’t see those every day.
It seemed as if that would help limit the damage for Tidwell in the top of the second, or so we thought. Brett Sullivan walked, and Adael Amador hit a three-run home run to right, in what was just his second big league at-bat of the season, to give the Rockies a 4-1 lead.
Believe it or not, the Giants would have a response in the bottom of the second. Cavanaugh led off the inning with a beautifully-placed—and beautiful all around—bunt single along the third base line. We don’t see that enough in our great game today. Something like that is always a good omen for an inning.
Turner Hill grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Kennedy lined a base-hit to left. Drew Gilbert, who was fresh off a three-hit and three-RBI game yesterday, shot a base-hit to center to knock in Hill, and cut it to 4-2.
Devers was up, and pulled an inside slider that went just foul down the right field line, and into the water. It flipped a guy’s kayak out there, and they showed it on the scoreboard for all of us to see. It may have been the most eventful foul splash hit in history, and thankfully ended with the guy being able to come up with the ball.
Devers then took a curve down and in, and hit a real splash hit to put the Giants back ahead. The same fan would not get it, which was unfortunate, because they would have been a storybook ending to a memorable at-bat. It was also the 110th splash hit here at Oracle Park.
Tidwell bounced back for a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third. The Giants would add a run in the bottom of the third, when Hill would knock in Basabe with his first big league hit.
Tidwell threw another one two three inning in the top of the fourth. Hughes didn’t throw a one two three bottom of the fourth, but it was rather quick, thanks to Gilbert getting picked off at first base.
Tidwell retired Sullivan to start the top of the fifth. However, after Tidwell walked Amador and McCarthy his day was done after just 63 pitches. Tidwell threw 100 and 96 pitches in his first two starts respectively, but his five walks got to him Sunday.
Sam Hentges was brought in, and Carrigg greeted him with a double down the left field line, which scored Amador, and made it a one-run game at 6-5. Moniak then got McCarthy in with a sacrifice fly, and that tied the game at 6-6.
All in all, Tidwell gave up six runs on just three hits. However, as I mentioned above, the five walks are what really got to Tidwell.
Hughes walked Eldridge to start the bottom of the fifth, and Nick Frasso was brought in. Frasso retired Jung Hoo Lee, but hit Basabe on the left hand. Cavanaugh then singled to left to load the bases, but Hill struck out for the second out.
Kennedy was up with two outs, the bases loaded and a full count. He took a fastball inside to put the Giants back ahead. However, Koss struck out, and that’s all the Giants would get.
The top of the sixth would not be pretty either. Hentegs was back out, and issued a pair of walks.
JT Brubaker came in with runners at second and third and two outs. With Amador at the plate, Brubaker threw one in the dirt that Cavanaugh could not find, and Veen came in to score to tie it at 7-7.
Amador and McCarthy both walked. Brubaker got ahead of Carrigg 0-2, but that was before Brubaker hit him on the foot. The Rockies retook the lead, and it was 8-7.
Reiver Sanmartin then came in, and Moniak lined a base-hit to left to knock in a pair. While it didn’t lead to any more runs scoring, Hill overran the ball in left, which allowed Moniak to reach second. It was just a brutal exclamation point, as the score was now 10-7.
Parker Mushinski threw a scoreless bottom of the sixth. Brett Sullivan then hit a three-run home run off Keaton Winn in the top of the seventh to open it up to 13-7, and put the game away.
As for the Giants’ bullpen the rest of the way, Trent Harris threw a scoreless top of the eighth, and Jason Foley threw a one two three top of the ninth.
Despite his shaky bottom of the fifth, Nick Frasso got the win. Sam Hentges took the loss.
The Rockies have indeed won the season series against the Giants 7-6. The Giants fall to 51-73 on the season.
Now, it’s back on the road for the Giants. They will play three in Cleveland against the Guardians starting on Tuesday, followed by three at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox starting Friday.
The series in Cleveland will be a reunion with catcher Patrick Bailey, whom the Giants traded to the Guardians on May 9. How well he does in this series, and how many walk-off home runs he hits, remain to be seen.
Starting pitchers for San Francisco LHP Carson Whisenhunt (3-3 ERA 6.11) will take the ball in what will be a matchup of lefties in the series opener on Tuesday for Cleveland LHP.Foster Griffin (13-4 ERA 3.25).
First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m. EDT in Cleveland, 3:40 p.m. PDT back home in San Francisco.
Buster gives Tony his confidence:
President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey made it clear that Tony Vitello will return as the Giants’ skipper next season.
With the Giants’ brutal 51-73 season to this point under the rookie big league manager, there had been speculation about Vitello’s future. That is despite the fact that there are two years remaining on his contract, and despite the fact that moving on from Vitello would mean the Giants bringing in their fourth manager in five years.
Posey dispelled any rumors about Vitello’s future with a blunt “he’s coming back.”
