DENVER (AP) — Elías Díaz hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Colorado Rockies a rain-delayed 5-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night, spoiling Nolan Arenado’s return to Coors Field.
Arenado went hitless in four at-bats in his first game in Denver since Colorado traded him to St. Louis in the offseason. He popped out to first in his first two trips to the plate and grounded out in his last two.
Díaz turned on an 0-2 slider from reliever Giovanny Gallegos (5-2) to end it.
Brendan Rodgers also homered and Daniel Bard (4-4) got the win in relief for the Rockies, who have won four straight.
Gallegos retired the first two batters to start the ninth and had Díaz in a hole before he hit one 424 feet into the seats in left. It was the first walk-off homer of his career and his fifth of the season.
Rodgers gave Colorado a 2-1 lead with a two-run shot the second inning, his fifth of the season.
Paul Goldschmidt, who has hit well against the Rockies, hit his 26th career homer against them to tie it in the third. It was his 12th of the season.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright extended his mastery of Colorado. In 17 games — 13 starts — he has a 1.72 career ERA against the Rockies, and at Coors Field he has a 2.42 ERA in seven games, six starts.
Wainwright kept up his workhorse trend with 110 pitches, eclipsing the 100-pitch mark for the fourth straight game and ninth time this season. He retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced to keep the game tied.
Antonio Senzatela nearly match him, going seven strong innings before turning it over to the Colorado bullpen.
The start of the game was delayed 58 minutes due to rain.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: OF Harrison Bader was activated from the 10-day injured list and started in center field. St. Louis optioned outfielder Lars Nootbaar to Triple-A Memphis. Bader missed 34 games with a right rib hairline fracture sustained diving to attempt to catch a line drive May 24 at the Chicago White Sox.
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (left hamstring) is still on track to make his scheduled start Saturday, manager Bud Black said. Freeland left Monday’s outing when his hamstring tightened up running the bases.
UP NEXT
Cardinals RHP Johan Oviedo (0-4, 5.23 ERA) will face Colorado RHP Chi Chi González (2-5, 5.81) in the second of a four-game series on Friday night.
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