Atkins races home to cap a 2-run 9th inning rally as Rockies beat the Padres, 8-7

Rockies rally for 2 in the 9th to beat Padres, 8-7

DENVER — Garrett Atkins raced home from first base with two outs in the ninth and the Colorado Rockies rallied against closer Heath Bell to beat the San Diego Padres on Saturday night, 8-7.

Bell (2-1) blew his first save in 15 chances.

The Rockies trailed 7-6 after pinch-hitter Scott Hairston hit a one-out solo homer in the top of the ninth. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Clint Barmes, who had four hits, singled and stole second. After Todd Helton grounded out, Atkins singled to left to tie the game.

Brad Hawpe blooped a double to center and Atkins raced home with the winning run when Tony Gwynn Jr. dove for the ball, but missed.

Reliever Huston Street (1-1) got the win.

Adrian Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs for the Padres, who have lost three of their last four after a 10-game winning streak.

Hawpe homered and Barmes had two doubles and a triple for Colorado, which is 2-0 since Jim Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle, who was fired Friday.

The Padres never trailed until the ninth in this back-and-forth game. Gonzalez gave them a 3-0 lead in the first with his major league-leading 19th homer, but the Rockies came right back in the bottom of the inning.

Barmes tripled with one out, Helton doubled and one out later Hawpe hit his team-leading seventh homer of the season to tie the game.

The Padres took a 4-3 lead on Josh Wilson’s RBI double in the second, but Colorado tied it on Garrett Atkins’ sacrifice fly that scored Barmes in the third.

San Diego took the lead in the fourth and chased starter Jason Hammel. With two outs and the game tied at 4, Geer reached on an infield single, Gwynn tripled to center and David Eckstein singled to make it 6-4.

Hammel gave up six runs and eight hits in 3 2-3 innings.

The Rockies tied it in the seventh. Troy Tulowitzki turned a blooper to center into a triple and scored on Ryan Spilborghs’ groundout. Dexter Fowler followed with a bloop double down the left-field line to chase starter Josh Geer.

Barmes doubled off of Gregerson to make it 6-6

Geer allowed six runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings.