By Morris Phillips

With both mired in difficult circumstances, it wouldn’t be hard to believe the Mets and Giants were happy to see each other on Thursday. But after 30 hits, 17 total runs, and a bunch of other unpredictable stuff, the two playoff hopefuls looking to get recharged might not be so enthused to see each other on Friday.

The Giants earned the more peaceful night of rest with a 10-7 come-from-behind victory in which they overcame a 4-0 deficit in the fourth inning. Madison Bumgarner allowed a grand slam to Justin Ruggiano in the top of that frame, then answered back with a two-run shot of his own, in the bottom of the inning, allowing the Giants to claim their first lead.

That Bumgarner’s shot came off Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom was surprising. That it came on the seventh pitch of a challenging at-bat that ended with what appeared to be the least challenging fastball of deGrom’s evening was quite eye-opening. Just not as noticeable as deGrom’s evening in his entirety, 13 hits allowed, eight earned runs, marking the worst outing of the 28-year old’s big league career.

“Early in counts, guys were making solid contact, leave a ball right down the middle to Bumgarner, hits it over the fence,” deGrom said. “I can’t think of any good pitches that got hit. It was a game where I wasn’t very good.”

But it was that kind of night at AT&T Park, two struggling clubs desperate to overcome their circumstances hardly preoccupied with the means to that end.

“I don’t think that’s how either of us had it drawn up, but we’ll take it for sure,” Bumgarner said. “It’s not about throwing shutouts, it’s about winning games, and that’s what we did today.”

Bumgarner, who has been mentioned at the top of the list of Cy Young candidates despite his hard luck results, and deGrom, with a sparkling 1.56 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break, didn’t seem headed for these types of performances, but there they were, just trying to record outs wherever possible until their ropes where inevitably cut.

DeGrom lasted through the conclusion of the fifth, allowing four hits, and three more runs after he gave the Giants the lead. He had never lost to the Giants prior to Thursday, and if this was the counter to all the success he’d enjoyed previously, he made it a doozy. DeGrom had given up just two earned runs in three previous starts against the Giants, winning all three times. But there wasn’t much magic in his arm this time, surprising given the recent groove the right hander had experienced.

Bumgarner needed 38 pitches to get through the fourth, allowing a home run to Justin Ruggiano, just two games removed from the disabled list. The grand slam was Ruggiano’s first home run of the season, his second grand slam of his career, and his third home run off Bumgarner.

But soon after Ruggiano’s slam was recorded, it became a footnote.

DeGrom then allowed the first four Giants hits in the bottom of the frame. After retiring Joe Panik, Bumgarner fouled off three pitches before deGrom offered him a batting practice fastball that ended up in the left field bleachers. Bumgarner would hit again in the sixth, striking out, but that was it for him as well, after just 89 pitches.

Buster Posey knocked in a pair of insurance runs in the eighth, and Santiago Casilla registers his 28th save after pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

The Giants won for just the 10 time in their 31 games since the break, but their timing was good. The first place Dodgers cooled in Philadelphia earlier, squandering a one-run lead in the seventh to lose 5-4 to the Phillies. With the win, the Giants climbed within a half-game of their rivals just three games ahead of their series that starts Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The Mets fell to 1-3 on their 10-game road trip that started in Phoenix and will end in St. Louis against the Cardinals.

On Friday, the Giants will have Johnny Cueto on the mound in a matchup with Steven Matz, looking for his 10^th win of the season.

NOTES: The Giants placed Matt Cain on the disabled list before the game, and activated Cody Gearrin, who pitched in Thursday’s game. Cain was going to be skipped from his next start to give Matt Moore a chance to start against the left-handed hitting Dodgers so the timing was precise, but also the veteran had struggled in his previous two starts, after pitching well for five.