SAN FRANCISCO _ It had been three weeks since Terry Collins sought out in the dugout Jacob deGrom and threw his arm around the struggling right-hander.
Never had the game been so cruel to deGrom. When healthy, he had known nothing but success. But after enduring two starts in which he looked hopelessly lost, he had hit rock bottom.
Since then, deGrom has recaptured his dominant form, which he continued Saturday in a 5-2 victory over the Giants.
Time may have run out for the Mets, a reality acknowledged by a front office that has let it be known that they will listen to trade offers for their veteran players. But if they are to maintain any hope of making a miraculous run, it will begin with the kind of pitching that deGrom delivered against the Giants, who have long turned an eye toward 2018.
In eight brilliant innings, deGrom showed pinpoint command of his secondary pitches, which only made his fastball harder to hit. Rarely did he miss a spot, part of the reason the Giants mustered just one run and four hits, the only damage on a solo homer by Brandon Belt in the seventh.
In his previous three outings, deGrom allowed one run in a complete game victory against the Cubs on June 12, then followed up with eight shutout innings to beat the Nationals.
Combined with his dominance against the Giants, deGrom has posted a 0.72 ERA in his last three games, with 21 strikeouts in 25 innings. His surge came after he allowed 15 earned runs over two outings, raising concerns about whether he had fully bounced back from elbow surgery.
"I think he's in a groove," Collins said before the game. "And hopefully, he'll continue to ride that wave."
After dropping three of four to the Nationals, and after getting swept in four games to the Dodgers, the Mets (33-41) assured themselves a series victory against the last-place Giants (27-50). Rafael Montero makes his third start of the season Sunday against the Giants' Matt Moore, with a series sweep on the line for the Mets.
Wilmer Flores showed signs of thawing from a recent slump, knocking in a pair of runs. He hit a solo shot in the fourth inning and laced an RBI double during a two-run eighth inning. It came after Jay Bruce knocked in the go-ahead run to snap a 1-1 tie.
In the ninth, pinch hitter Michael Conforto came off the bench to single home Jose Reyes, who led off the inning with a triple. Conforto later scored on a wild pitch.
After right-hander Johnny Cueto held the Mets to just one run in seven innings, the Giants' bullpen let the game get away, allowing four runs in the last two innings.
One day after Asdrubal Cabrera asked to be traded _ his forceful response after the Mets surprised him with a move from shortstop to second base _ he only improved his stock among those who might be in need of an infielder.
In his second start at second, he collected his second multihit game. With two walks, he reached base in four of his five plate appearances. Cabrera also added a web gem. In the fifth, he laid out to his left with a perfectly timed dive to take away a hit from Austin Slater.
All of it was in support of deGrom, who outdueled Cueto and allayed concerns about his physical well-being.
"He's a workaholic," Collins said. "He's worked hard at fixing things that needed to be fixed and it paid off. He knows himself pretty good."
