Brian Wilson Blows Save Then Takes Loss

Giants Fall a Half Game Back in Division

The Giants led the Rockies by two runs as late as the eighth inning, but Colorado rallied against Brian Wilson and beat San Francisco, 10-9, in extra innings.  The loss knocked the Giants out of first place in the National League West, and snapped the Rockies' five-game losing streak.

With the Padres win earlier in the day, the Giants are now a half-game back in the standings, one game back in the loss column.

Troy Tulowitzki capped a four-hit night with an RBI double in the 10th inning and the Colorado Rockies gave their faint playoff hopes a boost with a 10-9 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.

Tulowitzki homered, doubled and had five RBIs to help the Rockies snap a five-game slide and pull within four games of first place in the NL West. The Giants dropped out of the top spot, falling a half-game behind the San Diego Padres, who beat Cincinnati 4-3 earlier in the day.

Colorado is 3½ games back of San Francisco and Atlanta in the wild-card race with eight to play.

It was the first time in 19 games that the Giants allowed more than three runs. San Francisco hadn't allowed four or more in a game since beating the Dodgers 5-4 on Sept. 4.

Carlos Gonzalez started the winning rally with a one-out single off All-Star closer Brian Wilson (3-3). Tulowitzki followed with a sharply hit ball to left and Gonzalez raced around the bases, easily beating the relay throw from shortstop Juan Uribe.

Aubrey Huff had four hits, including one of four home runs by the Giants. Freddy Sanchez, Andres Torres and Cody Ross also connected.

Huston Street (4-4) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

Before the game, umpires were instructed to keep a close eye on game balls at Coors Field after the Giants expressed concern to the commissioner's office that the Rockies might be using "juiced" balls when batting.

Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney confirmed that umps were told to monitor Saturday night's game balls. Courtney said the Giants had spoken to MLB about the Rockies possibly using balls that weren't properly stored in the humidor at Coors Field.

Colorado took a 6-4 lead in the fifth on three triples and a two-run homer by Tulowitzki, his 27th of the season and 15th in September.

It didn't take San Francisco long to go back in front. The Giants greeted reliever Esmil Rogers in the sixth with five straight hits, including Ross' three-run shot that made it 8-6.

Sanchez scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to make it 9-6.

Colorado got a run in the seventh, and Tulowitzki's two-run double in the eighth tied it at 9.

Sanchez gave San Francisco a 1-0 lead with his sixth homer in the first, but the Rockies responded in the bottom half on Melvin Mora's two-run double.

Torres and Huff hit solo homers in the third.

Notes: Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning was a guest of Rockies 1B Todd Helton on the field prior to the game. Helton was Manning's backup when they both played quarterback at the University of Tennessee. ... Rockies 2B Eric Young Jr. left in the second inning after a collision with Huff at second base in the first inning. ... Torres came out in the fifth with discomfort in his abdomen. He had an appendectomy on Sept. 11.
 

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