DENVER—Nick Hundley homered to start the comeback and drove in the tiebreaking run with an eighth-inning single off Rafael Betancourt, and the San Diego Padres dealt the NL wild card-leading Colorado Rockies a disheartening 5-4 loss Thursday night.
The Rockies’ cushion in the wild-card race was trimmed to 3 1/2 games over idle Atlanta. San Francisco’s 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs kept the Giants four games behind Colorado.
Joe Beimel (1-6) took the loss for Colorado, allowing one run while getting just two outs, and Adam Russell (3-1) retired the only batter he faced to pick up the win. Rookie right-hander Luke Gregerson got five outs for his first career save in six chances.
Troy Tulowitzki gave the Rockies an early 3-0 lead with a three-run homer, his 30th, off Clayton Richard in the first inning, but Colorado’s bats went silent after that.
Rockies manager Jim Tracy, who is 68-39 since taking over in May, let starting pitcher Jason Hammel hit for himself with runners at second and third and two outs in the sixth with Coloradwo clinging to a 3-1 lead. He grounded out to second base.
Hammel was pulled after facing just two batters in the next inning, and that’s when the bullpen blew it.
Struggling left-hander Franklin Morales faced three batters and gave up a single and two walks, including one with the bases loaded to send home a run and make it 3-2. Eleven of his 15 pitches were out of the strike zone.
Matt Daley relieved and surrendered a sacrifice fly to David Eckstein that tied it. Beimel came in and got the final out.
In the eighth, though, Hundley broke the tie with an RBI single off Betancourt, stole second and scored on Tony Gwynn’s single to make it 5-3.
The Rockies got a run back in the bottom half when Ian Stewart hit his 25th homer, off Ryan Webb with one out. Clint Barmes followed with a single and the Padres brought in hard-throwing right-hander Gregerson, who struck out pinch-hitters Jason Giambi and Carlos Gonzalez.
Gregerson gave up a one-out single to Dexter Fowler in the ninth but got Todd Helton on a flyout to left and Tulowitzki to pop out to first base to end it.
Hammel, who allowed just two runs on six hits over 6 1-3 innings, was seeking to become the fifth Rockies starter to post double-digit wins. His only mistake was a pitch that Hundley hit for his eight homer in the fifth, making it 3-1.
Richard allowed three runs, two of them earned, on seven hits in six innings.
Next up for the Rockies are the St. Louis Cardinals, who begin a weekend series at Coors Field on Friday night that features the return of slugger Matt Holliday for the first time since his trade to Oakland last winter.
Two of the players the Rockies got in return—closer Huston Street and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez—have played major roles in the Rockies’ playoff push. Holliday was dealt to the Cardinals this summer and helped them take command of the NL Central.
NOTES: Tulowitzki is trying to become the first SS in major league history to hit 25 or more homers and field .990. … Rockies LHP Jeff Francis, who had season-ending shoulder surgery in spring training, had an encouraging three-inning stint at the Arizona instructional league on Thursday, throwing 89 mph. Also, reliever Manny Corpas (elbow spurs) threw an inning. He’s hoping to pitch again this season.
