Bumgarner, Giants win unexpected slugfest vs. Mets

SAN FRANCISCO -- Just when they appeared vulnerable to being dominated, the San Francisco Giants turned dominant.
Trailing the New York Mets and formidable right-hander Jacob deGrom by four runs, the Giants surged ahead with five fourth-inning runs and maintained control as they ended their four-game losing streak with a 10-7 triumph Thursday night.
Madison Bumgarner's 21-inning scoreless streak against the Mets dissolved in the fourth inning when Justin Ruggiano, freshly summoned from Triple-A, lashed a grand slam. But the Giants retaliated with five runs in their half of the fourth, a rally capped by Bumgarner's two-run homer.

Both starters were removed after five innings.
"I didn't see that kind of game coming. I don't think anybody did," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "You had two good ones out there. They just weren't on top of their game. We took a pretty good punch there, but we were able to punch back."
"I don't think that's how either of us had it drawn up. But we're going to take it, for sure," said Bumgarner (12-7). "It's not about throwing shutouts. It's about winning games."

deGrom (7-6) allowed career highs of eight runs and 13 hits.
"He's so good that when you get hit like that, it's got to be way too much plate," Mets manager Terry Collins said of deGrom. "You can't pitch in the middle of the plate."
Joe Panik's two-run double helped the Giants add three fifth-inning runs, which proved essential when the Mets rallied for a trio of runs in the seventh. Buster Posey eased the Giants' tension with a two-run, opposite-field double to right in the eighth inning.

The outcome trimmed San Francisco's National League West deficit to a half-game behind the Dodgers, while the Mets slipped 4 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the second NL Wild Card spot.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
It's our turn: The second half of San Francisco's batting order handled more than its share of the offensive load. Led by Eduardo Núñez, who went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, the Giants' fifth through ninth hitters went a combined 11-for-19, drove in eight runs and scored eight.

Nunez entered Thursday batting .200 (12-for-60) in 18 games as a Giant since being acquired at the Trade Deadline.
"It was good to see him break out. He can hit," Bochy said. "He's an exciting player. ... He brings something to the club [with] the way he plays."
Ruggiano's boost: Appearing in his first game since being placed on the disabled list on Aug. 2, Ruggiano provided a desperately needed spark for the Mets' offense Thursday night. In just his eighth at-bat as a member of the club, Ruggiano's grand slam was the outfielder's first home run since September 2015, which also came against Bumgarner. Ruggiano wasn't done either, and he scored a run in the sixth after reaching base via a single. He would finish the night 3-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

Romo on a roll:Sergio Romo's recent dominance has gone mostly unnoticed during the Giants' slump. The right-hander has struck out 12 of the last 17 hitters he has faced in a span of five appearances, including José Reyes and T.J. Rivera in the eighth inning to help preserve what was then a one-run Giants lead.
"To be honest, I was hoping to stay away from him," said Bochy, who added that Romo probably will receive a break from pitching on Friday. "He looks like he's back to where he was. He's really locating his fastball, slider and changeup. He looked good, didn't he?"
Down the middle: deGrom entered the series opener with San Francisco having allowed a combined two runs in his last four starts. But, the right-hander left myriad pitches over the plate Thursday night, and the Giants made him pay for it. New York lost a game deGrom pitched in for just third time since June 25.
"Tonight's on me, I was terrible," said deGrom. "It's one of those nights. These guys did a great job putting runs up for me and I couldn't hold the lead.
"I haven't seen him pitch like this ever," Collins added.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Bochy tied Jim Leyland for 15th place on the all-time managerial wins list with 1,769.
"Jim is somebody I've always revered," Bochy said. "What an unbelievable career. I'm humbled to reach this milestone with somebody who's done so much for the game and is one of the best managers ever in the game. I've said this so many times: I'm fortunate to have been doing this as long as I've been doing it."

WHAT'S NEXT
Mets:Seth Lugo will pitch in place of Steven Matz for the Mets on Friday at 10:15 p.m ET. Matz scratched from his scheduled start because of a shoulder issue. Lugo is 0-1 with a 2.65 ERA in nine appearances this season. Yoenis Céspedes and Asdrúbal Cabrera are expected to be back in action for the Mets.
Giants: San Francisco will give the ball to right-hander Johnny Cueto, the NL starter in this year's All-Star Game, in Friday's 7:15 p.m. PT matchup. Cueto has struggled since then, recording two quality starts in six second-half outings.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.