http://0rz.tw/24bHb DeRosa the hero as Giants win in 12th inning By Chris Haft / MLB.com | 9/14/2011 3:43 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO -- Maybe the season has lasted a little too long for the Giants. But the duration suits Mark DeRosa. Finding a way to cope with his injured left wrist, DeRosa has thrived in his sporadic appearances since leaving the disabled list in early August. His latest deed was Tuesday night's two-out, tiebreaking single in the 12th inning that lifted the Giants to their third consecutive victory, a 3-2 decision over the San Diego Padres. Cody Ross singled up the middle to open the Giants' half of the 12th against Brad Brach (0-2), San Diego's fifth reliever. Brach wild-pitched Ross to second base. After Andres Torres popped up, Carlos Beltran, who was 3-for-5, drew an intentional walk. Pablo Sandoval's sharp grounder to second base forced out Beltran and advanced Ross to third. DeRosa then lined a 1-2 pitch off the glove of second baseman Orlando Hudson, who leaped for the ball and got his glove on it but couldn't hold on. "Line-drive leap, just off the top of the glove. Probably as close as you can get," San Diego manager Bud Black said, praising Hudson's effort. DeRosa, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and stayed in the game to play first base, drew upon his savvy as an 11-year veteran to deliver San Francisco's 12th walk-off triumph of the season. Referring to Brach, DeRosa said, "He's thrown about three or four sliders in the dirt. I had a feeling he didn't want to throw that pitch again with a man on third. He's throwing the ball 93 to 95 [mph]. So I was on the heater." DeRosa has maintained that simple hitting approach since his activation, hitting .379 (11-for-29) in 18 games since Aug. 4. His oft-injured wrist, which has limited him to 65 games as a Giant since he signed a two-year, $12 million contract as a free agent before the 2010 season, has diminished his power. "I think earlier this year, [I had] visions of grandeur thinking I could do more," said DeRosa, who hit 44 homers in 2008-09. "This second go-round, I realized my limitations. You can tell I'm not trying to drive the ball out of the stadium. I'm trying to stay short, stay up the middle, work counts, and for some reason it's working right now." The Giants felt overjoyed for DeRosa, a popular figure who has received constant credit for his leadership ability even while being sidelined. "We're so pumped for DeRo," right-hander Matt Cain said. "He's been such a great clubhouse guy for the past two years." Giants manager Bruce Bochy was realistic, given DeRosa's physical struggles. "I'll be the first to admit I'm surprised, with all he went through," Bochy said. "I'm sure at some point, he thought his career was over." DeRosa might have entertained those thoughts, but never yielded to them. "The alternative was unacceptable, as Pat Burrell would say," DeRosa said. "When I got hurt I thought of nothing else but trying to get back and help the team." Numerous others also contributed to the Giants' 11th victory in 17 games this season over the last-place Padres. Cain worked 6 1/3 innings, departing with a 2-0 lead, to pace an airtight pitching effort. After San Diego's Jason Bartlett ripped a two-run double off Guillermo Mota to tie the score in the seventh, Giants relievers held the Padres to two hits in the final 5 1/3 innings while striking out 10. Sandoval rapped a first-inning RBI single, matched Beltran's three hits and continued his ascent past the .300 mark, elevating his batting average from .301 to .304. The outcome kept the Giants 6 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the National League Wild Card race. St. Louis remained in between the Braves and Giants at 4 1/2 games back. NL West-leading Arizona maintained its 8 1/2-game bulge over San Francisco. Simple mathematics indicate that the Giants should give up. But they refuse to do so. "Obviously the odds are extremely tough for us right now," Cain said. "We still have to play good ball and you never know what can happen. We still have to go out there and show the fans that we appreciate everything that they've come out and gone through with us. That's part of being a professional athlete. You have to go out there with that pride. You can't just mail it in." "We're all professionals in here and we care about how we represent the city and the fans," DeRosa said. "We want to finish strong and never forget that we're the defending champs. I think you have to be mindful of all those things, but at the same time I sit there for seven innings and watch the Braves win and Arizona win. And St. Louis won as well. If we were going to keep any pulse, we had to win tonight." Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. --

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