God, we love those pitchers' duels

If you were a beer vendor at AT&T Park, Thursday was your lucky night.

In a game started by Madison Bumgarner and Jacob deGrom, you'd have bet the farm on a pitchers' duel. And you'd be signing over the deed after a desperate Giants team outlasted the visiting New York Mets 10-7.

Neither starter for beyond five innings. The Giants used seven hurlers and the Mets another five as the teams combined for 30 hits, including 17 by the hosts. An artistic masterpiece it wasn't.

Combined with Los Angeles' 5-4 come-from-ahead defeat in Philadelphia, the Giants actually saw some positive movement in the standings. At (67-54), San Francisco pulled within half a game of the first-place Dodgers.

The "are you kidding me?" action started early. The Giants put the lead-off man aboard in each of the first three innings but went 0-for-5 with RISP. Throw in a base running blunder by Eduardo Nunez, who singled, (it was supposed to be a single; a single dammit!) but tried to stretch it 90 feet and was thrown out by the length of a cable car, and the stage was set for lunacy.

In the fourth, the Mets saw their first man reach scoring position, and they showed the Giants how it's done. TJ Rivera singled then Bumgarner lost the strike zone, walking Wilmer Flores and Travis d'Arnaud to load the bases with one out. 

Justin Ruggiano took him yard. These guys hit with RISP; 4-0 Mets. We went to the medicine cabinet to make a selection from our growing selection of antacids and anti-depressants.

The Giants desperately needed to answer back in the bottom of the frame. Funny thing, that desperation. 

Buster Posey's infield single (not a typo) set the stage. Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence singled, scoring Posey, before Nunez tripled into the right field corner. Two scored and the tying run stood at third with nobody out.

One unproductive out later, MadBum redeemed himself. His third home run of the year sent a charge through the faithful and the Giants had come all the way back to take a 5-4 lead. There's your RISP. It was Bumgarner's 14th career homer, putting him one behind Johnny Antonelli and Hal Shumacher on the all-time home run list for Giants hurlers.

San Francisco needed the shutdown inning deGrom couldn't get. A double play helped as Bumgarner gave up some loud contact but kept the Giants in front at the halfway point. Then the G-Men added on with some two-out magic. Crawford, Pence and Nunez singled to get one run, then Panik splashed the left field line for a two-run double and an 8-4 Giants edge after five full.

This home run trot is starting to look well-practiced. (AP Photo)

And five was all the Giants would get from the shaky Bumgarner (4R, 6H, 6K, 3BB), who nevertheless departed with a lead. Cory Gearrin, just off the DL (Matt Cain was shelved to make room) was summoned and he was every bit as frightening. Gearrin gave up two quick hits to ratchet up the anxiety level. A deep fly put runners and the corners and Gearrin's  role in the game of musical mound chairs was done.

Will Smith continued to disappoint, promptly giving up s two-run triple to Ty Kelly and it was suddenly 8-6. Rene Rivera, hitting for deGrom, grounded out as Kelly scored to make it a one-run game. Another hit had fans on the edges of their seats, and only a running catch by Angel Pagan got Smith out of the inning.

All teams have good trades and bad; no one has a crystal ball. Still, three weeks into his tenure the Giants' decision to add Smith in lieu of the sexier trade deadline candy is on pace to be one of San Francisco's all-time worst.

The Giants had a chance to answer, putting the first two men aboard in the home sixth. Brandon Belt struck out, and Posey grounded into a double play. Old habits die hard. Meanwhile, the Mets kept hitting. Smith did get the first out of the seventh before giving way to Derek Law. He was greeted with consecutive singles to put the tying run (say it together) in scoring position for Ruggiano, because of course it was Ruggiano.

Law won the battle, denying Ruggiano his fourth hit of the night on a called strike three. Kelly Johnson walked, but  Kelly grounded out to leave the bags loaded. There was still half an inning before the end of alcohol sales. We assume there was a last-minute rush.

Fans had a chance to drink in peace. Javy Lopez and Sergio Romo pitched a quiet eighth, with Romo striking out a pair. Two walks gave the Giants a chance to add on, and Posey cashed it in with a two-run double off the bricks in right. With Santiago Casilla lurking we hadn't put away the Alka Seltzer, but the package remained unwrapped.

An infield single against the shift put Jay Bruce aboard to open the inning but a comebacker, pop-up and strikeout finally put the Giants into double digits in second-half wins.

It only took 31 tries.

San Francisco will hope the offense carries over to Friday night. Johnny Cueto (13-3, 2.97 ERA) gets the assignment of adding some pitching to the mix. Steven Matz was scheduled to be the opposition but CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavovic reports Matz to be a late scratch with Seth Lugo (0-1, 2.65 over nine appearances) to get his first Major League start.

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