D-backs lose sole possession of first with 10-inning loss

Rockies 7, Diamondbacks 3 (10 innings)

PHOENIX (ESPN.com news services) -- For the second time in three days, the Arizona Diamondbacks found themselves in a tie for first place in the NL central with the San Diego Padres.

Cory Sullivan hit a two-run single in the eighth, 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 sole possesssion of first place.

"I wasn't even looking at the scoreboard much," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "We were just trying to win a game. We've been back and forth."

A day after overtaking San Diego, the Diamondbacks lost for the eighth time in 12 games.

"There's not going to be a team that pulls out a six- or seven-game lead going into October 1," Conor Jackson said. "It's going to be a four-team battle."

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.

"I thought I had a bead on it," Young said. "It was sinking as I was running in. It's not an easy play, but I feel like I should get there. I've gotten there other times this year. I just didn't make the play."

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.

Arizona's bullpen has allowed 14 runs and 19 hits in the past two games.

"That's baseball," Valverde said. "On television they say the bullpen is struggling. Check the bullpens of other teams. They're struggling, too. What are you going to do?"

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.

"We've been pretty resilient all year," Helton said. "We've battled back, never given up and we did the same thing tonight."

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.

"It was gutsy to come out there and get out of those jams like that," Reynolds said.

Jimenez, featuring a fastball topping out at 99 mph, gave up three runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Game notes
Jackson left the game in the seventh after taking a hard grounder off his left wrist but X-rays were negative. Reynolds left the game after the seventh with swelling in his left elbow. No X-rays were taken. Both are day-to-day. ... 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. ... After the game, Arizona recalled Eveland, Robbie Hammock, Bill Murphy and Jailen Peguero from Triple-A Tucson and Emilio Bonifacio from Double-A Mobile. The Diamondbacks also activated Carlos Quentin from the 15-day DL