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A few miles down the road from a statue celebrating Rocky Balboa, the Giants took their biggest gut punches of the season Thursday.

Tony Vitello’s team isn’t on the ropes yet, but after a pair of walk-off losses within hours of each other, the Giants are dazed and woozy.

Vitello’s stunning hire was supposed to give the Giants an edge, but San Francisco finished his first full month on the job in last place in the National League West after being swept by a Phillies team that fired its manager on Monday.

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area noted Thursday (opens in new tab) marked the Giants’ first time being walked off in both ends of a doubleheader since 1956. Willie Mays hit .296 with 36 home runs for a 67-win team that season, but a weak Giants lineup finished with the fewest runs and the lowest batting average in the majors.

This year’s Giants lineup ranks last in runs and last in home runs, and it’s not as if the next Mays is slated to play center field Friday against the Rays.

Buster Posey’s biggest acquisitions, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, are two of the worst qualified hitters in the majors. Adames’ average dipped under .200 Thursday, while Devers’ .537 OPS is the second-lowest of any hitter with at least 120 at-bats. 

The lineup isn’t the Giants’ only problem. 

Both relievers Vitello asked to protect ninth-inning leads Thursday blew saves. Ryan Walker entered with a 2-1 edge in Game 1 and gave up a pair of runs while Keaton Winn allowed the Phillies to tie the game with a two-out double in Game 2.

In the top of the 10th, Heliot Ramos hit a single that should have brought Drew Gilbert home for the go-ahead run, but third-base coach Hector Borg inexplicably held the rookie. Matt Chapman struck out, Luis Arráez lined out, Casey Schmitt flied out, and the Giants watched the Phillies celebrate their second win of the day in the bottom of the frame.

A team that has MLB’s worst offense, a lack of proven high-leverage options in the bullpen, and a growing list of base running miscues isn’t going to last long in the ring against good opponents. It’s an inability to win matchups with bad ones that should have Posey, Vitello, and Giants players concerned.

Teams overcome slow starts in baseball every year, which is why it’s generally wise to hold off on judgments until a quarter of the season is over. But the 40-game mark is approaching quickly for the Giants, and after taking a couple of blows in Philly, they better get back in the ring and fight or risk getting knocked out way earlier than anticipated.