Jeff Baker singled in two runs with two out in the 14th inning, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 11-9 Saturday after seeing an eight-run lead disappear.
The game lasted 4 hours, 53 minutes and included a 38-minute rain delay in the 11th inning. Jacque Jones' RBI single with two outs in the ninth tied it for the Cubs.
Todd Helton doubled off Jae Kuk Ryu (0-1) to start the Colorado 14th and Brad Hawpe walked. After a sacrifice bunt by Clint Barmes, Chris Iannetta struck out. But Baker singled up the middle, past a diving shortstop Ronny Cedeno.
With a runner on second in the bottom half, Hawpe slipped as he caught pinch-hitter Carlos Zambrano's fly ball to right for the final out.
Ramon Ramirez (4-3) earned the win, allowing two hits in 1 2-3 scoreless innings.
The Cubs trailed 9-8 in the ninth when Matt Murton drew a two-out walk from closer Brian Fuentes, advanced all the way to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jones' single. The blown save was Fuentes' sixth in 36 chances.
Both teams had opportunities to score before the winning run crossed the plate.
Hawpe doubled off Bob Howry leading off the 10th and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt but was stranded. Colorado's Garrett Atkins flied to the wall off Roberto Novoa in the 11th.
With a runner on first and two outs in the 12th, the Cubs turned to 2005 batting champion Derrek Lee, who flied to right in his first at-bat since Sept. 14. Lee was on a leave of absence to tend to his three-year-old daughter, who has a genetic eye disease.
Colorado's Kaz Matsui pinch-hit a triple off Ryu leading off the 13th but stayed there. The Cubs had runners on first on first and second with two out in the bottom of the inning, when Jones grounded out.
Both teams played 18 innings on Aug. 15, when the Cubs won 8-6 at Houston and the Rockies lost 2-1 at home to Arizona.
Colorado's Jamey Carroll started a three-run first with the first leadoff homer of his career, and Matt Holliday made it 7-0 with a two-run homer with two out in the second that chased Juan Mateo.
Hawpe led off the third with a home run that made it 8-0 en route to the second four-hit game of the season and his career. Iannetta went deep leading of the eighth after the Cubs pulled within 8-6.
Rockies starter Jeff Francis allowed six runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings. He left with an 8-3 lead and the bases loaded before Ryan Theriot hit a three-run double off Nate Field.
Freddie Bynum pinch-hit a two-run triple with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to pull Chicago within 9-8.
Notes: Cubs GM Jim Hendry said he spoke to Aramis Ramirez's agent on Friday and hopes to have the third baseman back next year. Ramirez can opt out of his contract. Hendry would also like to have Kerry Wood back as a reliever. The Cubs can buy out his US$13.5 million salary for $3 million. And Hendry expects CF Juan Pierre to explore the free-agent market.
