NEW YORK -- Left fielder Michael Cuddyer helped the New York Mets exhale in the fourth inning Thursday night. Five innings later, he ensured the Mets would exit Citi Field with a smile for the first time this week.

Cuddyer's RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning scored right fielder Curtis Granderson and lifted the skidding Mets to a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants.

The win salvaged the finale of a three-game series for the Mets, who were no-hit by Giants rookie right-hander Chris Heston in a 5-0 loss Tuesday. On Wednesday, New York led 4-2 before ace right-hander Matt Harvey allowed five runs in the sixth inning of San Francisco's 8-5 victory.

"Any time you one, get a win, two, a win that you needed and then in the fashion that it happened, it was all good," Cuddyer said. "All fun."

The Mets appeared headed for another miserable loss when they fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and failed to get a hit against Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum in the first three innings.

First baseman Lucas Duda drew a one-out walk in the fourth, after which Cuddyer hit a potential double play grounder to third base. But the ball bounced off the glove of Matt Duffy and Cuddyer beat the throw to first base from shortstop Brandon Crawford.

After a pop-out by shortstop Wilmer Flores, catcher Travis d'Arnaud blooped the Mets' first hit, an RBI single, into the no-man's land in shallow right field.

"That was big to be able to scrape together that inning," Cuddyer said. "It allowed us to at least get back to our approach and not try to put too much pressure to get the hit."

The Mets didn't score again in the fourth but took the lead in the fifth, when left-hander Jonathon Niese doubled and went to third on Granderson's single. One out later, Duda's sacrifice fly scored Niese and Granderson trotted home on a double by Cuddyer that chased Lincecum.

"You've got to give credit to the Giants for the first two games of the series," said d'Arnaud, who finished with two hits. "And the way the game was starting today, they looked like they had it going again. But fortunately we were able to get that one run."

The Mets were able to get one more run two more times. Crawford's two-run homer in the sixth gave the Giants a 4-3 lead, but pinch-hitter Darrell Ceciliani led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and scored on Granderson's single.

In the ninth, Granderson was hit by a one-out pitch from right-hander Sergio Romo (0-3), went to second on a passed ball and took third on a groundout by centerfielder Juan Lagares. After an intentional walk to Duda, Cuddyer laced Romo's next pitch up the middle for his fourth walk-off hit and first since April 19, 2006.

"It's definitely a good feeling to get that win, because you get swept at home, no matter who you're playing -- against a good team or not a good team -- it leaves a bad taste in your mouth," Cuddyer said. "To be able to get the win tonight makes you feel good about going to the next series."

It also helped put the Mets (32-29) back in first place in the NL East. New York moved a half-game ahead of the Washington Nationals, who lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5.

Right-hander Jeurys Familia (2-0) allowed one hit in the ninth. Niese allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings.

The Giants (34-27) finished 4-2 on a road trip to Philadelphia and New York but missed a chance to move within a half-game of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

"Good road trip -- you take two series, you take it," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "You'd like to get greedy and get this one, but we just couldn't hold the lead."

First baseman Buster Posey had an RBI single while right fielder Nori Aoki went 2-for-4. Second baseman Joe Panik singled and scored a run as he exte