Colorado, San Diego to Meet in NL Wild Card Showdown

The Rockies will host the Padres on Monday night at 5:37 p.m. MT for the right to be the NL Wild Card and play the Phillies in the NLDS.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

DENVER - The scoreboard watching stopped, then the hitting began.

Garrett Atkins' RBI single broke a tie, and Brad Hawpe delivered a two-run double -- his second run-scoring double of the game, as the Rockies beat the Diamondbacks, 4-3, in front of a raucous 46,375 at Coors Field on Sunday afternoon to force a one-game playoff for the National League Wild Card.

The Rockies will host the Padres on Monday night at 5:37 p.m. MT for the right to be the NL Wild Card and play the Phillies in the NLDS.

In the eighth with the game tied at 1, the out-of-town scoreboard in right field showed that the Padres had lost their scheduled finale with the Brewers, 11-6.

Because of that, and the three-run eighth by the suddenly unburdened offense, the Rockies will play at Coors on Monday in the seventh one-game playoff in Major League history.

D-backs third baseman Mark Reynolds' throwing error let Troy Tulowitzki reach to open the eighth, and Matt Holliday singled off the glove of first baseman Robby Hammock against Dustin Nippert (1-1).

Bill Murphy walked Todd Helton, then Atkins singled to left to break the tie.

Hawpe, whose double in the sixth off Doug Slaten had given the Rockies a 1-0 lead, added his two-run double to right field.

Lefty reliever Brian Fuentes (3-5) came in with two on after Jorge Julio had given up a game-tying Carlos Quentin single with one out in the seventh.

Fuentes fanned Conor Jackson and Jeff Cirillo, then pitched around two walks in a scoreless eighth during which he struck out two.

Manny Corpas gave up a pair of runs in the ninth but held on for his 19th save.

Story by: Thomas Harding

Courtesy: MLB.com

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