PHOENIX—Cory Sullivan hit a two-run single in the eighth inning, then scored the go-ahead run on a 10th-inning error as the Colorado Rockies rallied to beat Arizona 7-3 Friday night and drop the Diamondbacks out of first place in the NL West.
A day after overtaking San Diego, the Diamondbacks lost for the eighth time in 12 games and fell one percentage point behind the Padres.
Miguel Montero’s three-run homer in the seventh, just the third hit against Ubaldo Jimenez, gave Arizona a three-run lead.
After Livan Hernandez pitched seven shutout innings, Sullivan hit a two-run, two-out single off Brandon Lyon in the eighth. Todd Helton reached on a two-out infield single against Jose Valverde in the ninth, and pinch-runner Jamey Carroll scored from first when Garrett Atkins’ single bounced past center fielder Chris Young.
Sullivan tripled off Tony Pena (5-3) leading off the 10th. Kazuo Matsui followed with a grounder back to the mound, but Pena threw the ball wildly to first, allowing Sullivan to score. Atkins added a sacrifice fly, and Brad Hawpe hit a two-run single off Doug Slaton.
Matt Herges (3-0) got the win as five Colorado pitchers combined on a three-hitter that included 3 1-3 hitless innings by the bullpen.
Colorado had 17 hits—four by Helton—and stranded 15 runners. The Rockies closed within five games of first place.
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle was ejected by first-base umpire Jerry Layne in the ninth for arguing a close call at first base.
Troy Tulowitzki led off with a sharp grounder to shortstop, and first baseman Tony Clark had to dive toward the outfield side for Stephen Drew’s throw. Hurdle argued that Drew’s throw had pulled Clark off the bag. Replays were inconclusive.
Tulowitzki threw his helmet back onto the field near the first-base coaches’ box after he returned to the dugout, but the debris was clear before any of the umpires took notice.
Hernandez, pitching on short rest for the first time since Sept. 24, 2005, allowed nine hits, struck out two and walked one. He was 0-4 with a 5.23 ERA in four previous regular-season starts with less than four days’ rest.
Hernandez escaped a based-loaded, no-outs jam in the sixth when Hawpe fouled out, Ryan Spilborghs lined out to third baseman Mark Reynolds and Yorvit Torrealba grounded out.
Jimenez, featuring a fastball topping out at 99 mph, gave up three runs and three hits in 6 2-3 innings.
Notes:@ Hurdle has been ejected three times this season. … Holliday’s extended his streak of reaching base safely to a franchise-record 36 games. Helton and Larry Walker previously had 35-game streaks for Colorado. … Helton was 2-for-3 against Hernandez and raised his career average to .482 (32-for-66) against him. … LHP Dana Eveland, 1-0 with a 1.95 ERA in nine games and seven starts for Triple-A Tucson, will start for the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Eveland allowed three runs in 1 1-3 innings in his first stint with Arizona this season.
