• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Tulowitzki's homer helps Rockies top Mets

Apr 12, 2011 - 5:34 AM Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Troy Tulowitzki's two-run homer in the eighth proved to be the difference, as the Colorado Rockies held on to beat the New York Mets, 7-6, in the start of a four-game series.

Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez both drove in three for the Rockies, who have won three in a row and improved to 7-2 to start the year. Seth Smith finished 3-for-4 with a double and triple.

Mets reliever Bobby Parnell (0-1) took the mound in the eighth with the game tied, 4-4, but gave up three runs. New York rallied for two runs in the bottom half, but fell short to lose for the fifth time in six games.

Jose Reyes tripled twice to lead the Mets' offense, while David Wright homered.

Both starters gave up four runs. Only two of the runs Colorado's Jason Hammel gave up in six innings were earned, while the Mets' Mike Pelfrey was credited with three earned runs allowed in 5 1/3 frames.

New York got on the board in the first inning, when Daniel Murphy scored before the Rockies could catch Wright in a run-down to complete a double play.

Tulowitzki hit an RBI single in the third, but Reyes led off the bottom half with a triple and scored on Wright's sacrifice fly, making it a 2-1 game.

Reyes' throwing error in the fourth allowed Chris Iannetta to score on a sac fly, but New York forged ahead again in the home half.

Ike Davis and Angel Pagan both reached on errors to start the at-bat, and Willie Harris followed by ripping a double to the right field corner, giving the Mets a 4-2 lead.

Pelfrey got into a jam in the sixth after walking Iannetta with one away. Hammel followed with a base hit before Ryota Igarashi entered to pitch for the Mets. However, Igarashi walked Dexter Fowler to fill the bases, and Gonzalez followed with a game-tying single.

After Matt Belisle (2-0) recorded the final two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Parnell entered at the start of the fateful inning.

Fowler led off with a single, moved to second on a bunt, and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring when Gonzalez grounded into a fielder's choice. However, Parnell's errant throw allowed Gonzalez to move to second before Tulowitzki ripped the homer to left, giving Colorado a 7-4 cushion.

"We've been playing some good games. We've been in it until the end," Davis said. "Just one or two little miscues and we lose the ballgame."

The Rockies and reliever Rafael Betancourt needed all of those runs.

Wright led off the Mets' half with a homer to right-center, and Carlos Beltran doubled before crossing the plate on Davis' base hit. However, Betancourt retired the next three hitters in order, and Huston Street worked a 1-2-3 ninth to get his fifth save.

"We did a good job of staying in the ballgame, keeping it close. When we had our chance to take over we did," Tulowitzki said.

Game Notes

Hammel gave up six hits, walked one and struck out three...Pelfrey allowed six hits, walked four and fanned three...Colorado went 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12...The teams split six meetings last year.