MINNEAPOLIS -- When you consider the traumas and travails Giants pitcher Jesse Foppert has gone through the past year and a half, his no-decision in the club's 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night seemed extraordinary by comparison.

Good medicine, a young arm and strength of character kept him whole -- in mind and body -- and the right-hander never had a setback in his long rehab from Tommy John surgery in September 2003.

"He's a fearless kid, well-liked and respected by his teammates," crowed manager Felipe Alou. "He's all business."

But nobody really knew how he'd fare in the big games at the big stadiums. Until Tuesday night.

In his first Giants start since Aug. 20 two seasons ago, the 24-year-old went 5 2/3 innings, giving up a homer to Michael Cuddyer in the fifth inning that was nearly caught by left fielder Moises Alou.

Foppert only allowed five hits and two earned runs in one of the more competitive games the Giants have had in this stretch of losing 15 of their last 17 games.

But the contest would prove pivotal at various stages -- early, middle and late -- with key plays that went the wrong way for San Francisco.

In the 11th, Cuddyear hit a broken-bat single off Jeff Fassero, reached second on a sacrifice, then Shannon Stewart hit a looping single off Tyler Walker.

"It was a slider down and away, executed a good pitch, and he hit it off the end of his bat -- game over," said a dejected Walker. "There's not a lot of room for error there. Hopefully we're getting all this out now.

"Jesse looked great today. It's a shame we couldn't get him a win today. It would have been nice to get him a 'W,' but it wouldn't have mattered who got it."

Still, if there was a consolation for the Giants, Foppert looked as breezily smooth and confident as he was two seasons ago. Now he's admittedly bigger, stronger and with a better delivery.

"I guess the result was decent, but anytime you walk five in 5 2/3 innings, you're asking for trouble," said Foppert. "That's at least 20 extra pitches I had to throw. The command wasn't that great tonight.

"But it meant a lot," he said of returning to the mound. "It was exciting to go against one of the best pitchers in the game [the Twins' Johan Santana] and we're in it until the end. I felt better as the game went on and got into a better rhythm."

It's been as equally long a wait for the Giants to see Foppert back in action, and Alou was delighted to see the youngster healthy again.

"That kid has a lot of heart and gave us a shot at winning the game," he said. "We know him very well. He goes after hitters, and tonight he mainly used his fastball -- the splitter, which is a real poisonous weapon, he didn't have good command of that.

"But we know," added Alou, "we have a pitcher now. We wish for the kid to put the surgery way behind him."

Several close plays cost the Giants dearly Tuesday.

Cuddyer's solo homer to left field flicked off the closed glove of outfielder Moises Alou above the wall in the fifth inning, with Alou frustratingly throwing his glove in disgut.

"I took my eyes off it a little bit," said Alou.

In the sixth, Torii Hunter was caught off base while attemping to steal. Foppert threw to second baseman Ray Durham, but Hunter raced safely back to first when Pedro Feliz just missed tagging him.

Moments later, Hunter came home from third on Justin Morneau's sacrifice fly for the Twins' second run. Minnesota scored again in the frame when Durham dropped a probable third out on a force at second.

Jacque Jones' comebacker under Foppert's glove in the sixth was also crucial.

"That could have ended that inning," said Foppert. "You give 'em extra outs and it hurts."

Durham was the Giants' chief offensive threat, slugging his third homer, doubling and scoring twice, while Omar Vizquel's single tallied Mike Matheny in the third inning off Santana.