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Sandoval Homers And Posey Is Clutch As The Giants Win 3-2 Over Padres

San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Buster Posey hit a leadoff double in the 11th inning and came around to score the game-winning run on Juan Uribe's single to right, as the San Francisco Giants inched closer to the National League West-leading San Diego Padres behind a 3-2 decision at AT&T Park.

Pablo Sandoval homered in the victory, which was credited to Santiago Casilla (4-2) for stranding runners on the corners in the top of the 11th.

The win was San Francisco's fourth in six games and moved the Giants within 2 1/2 games of the division lead.

Chase Headley and Adrian Gonzalez each had two hits and recorded run-scoring doubles for the Padres, who had won five straight, including a 3-2 win in the opener of this critical three-game set.

Both teams had trouble coming through in scoring opportunities, with the Padres going 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position and the Giants being held without a hit in eight chances until the final frame.

In the 11th, Posey greeted Tim Stauffer (3-2) with a two-bagger, and Sandoval was given a free pass before Uribe put a first-pitch offering into right field to drive in the winning tally.

The late-inning drama overshadowed stellar starts from two young pitchers, as 21-year-old Madison Bumgarneryielded two runs on eight hits and two walks over seven innings for San Francisco, while Mat Latos, 22, gave up one run on five hits while striking out nine in six-plus innings, setting a Padres record with his 11th consecutive start of allowing two runs or fewer.

Headley's two-out double in the first inning brought home Jerry Hairston Jr. to give the visitors an early lead.

The Padres stranded the bases full that frame, but got another run in the fifth via consecutive doubles by Miguel Tejada and Gonzalez.

After surviving doubles by Mike Fontenot and Andres Torres in the first and third inning, respectively, Latos got out of a second-and-third, one-out situation in the fifth by fanning Torres and getting Fontenot to pop out.

Sandoval's leadoff homer in the seventh ended Latos' outing, and Ernesto Frieri and Joe Thatcher combined to get out of the inning holding a 2-1 edge.

San Diego loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and again failed to get a run across, proving costly in the bottom of the frame.

With Luke Gregerson on the hill, Fontenot singled, moved to third on Aubrey Huff's double and scored the tying run on a Pat Burrell groundout. Huff moved to third on the play, but was stranded there when Posey bounced out to short and Uribe flied out.

The Padres stranded a runner in scoring position in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings. In the latter, they had runners on the corners and one out and came away empty-handed when Headley struck out and Tony Gwynn Jr. lined to center.

San Diego still leads the season series, 8-2, with seven of those games being decided by one run...Giants starters have not registered a victory over their last 11 games...Jake Peavy was the only other Padres starter to allow two runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts (2004)...Latos' earned-run average over his last nine outings is a minuscule 0.95. He has give up three runs over a span of 28 innings against the Giants this season...Jose Guillen, acquired by the Giants in a trade with the Royals on Friday, grounded out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.