SAN DIEGO – Rookie Josh Barfield hit a three-run homer with one out in the ninth inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 on Monday night to keep their 11/2-game lead in the NL wild-card race.

Barfield finished with four RBIs for the defending NL West champion Padres, who pulled within two games of Los Angeles in the division. San Diego leads Philadelphia by 11/2 games in the wild-card race.

With the Rockies on the verge of beating the Padres for the 11th time in 17th games this year, San Diego rallied against closer Brian Fuentes (3-4).

After retiring leadoff batter Russell Branyan, Fuentes walked Mike Cameron and pinch-hitter Mike Piazza, who was replaced by pinch-runner Khalil Greene. Barfield then drove a 1-2 pitch into the left-field seats, his 12th homer.

It was Fuentes’ fifth blown save in 28 chances. Rudy Seanez (1-0) pitched one inning for the win.

Colorado rookie Troy Tulowitzki hit his first career homer, and Todd Helton had a two-run shot. Matt Holliday hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the fifth.

The starters each lasted five innings. Colorado’s Josh Fogg allowed three runs and seven hits to stop a two-game losing streak. Woody Williams lost his second straight start, allowing five runs, three earned, and five hits.

Williams walked Jamey Carroll leading off the game and Helton followed with his 14th homer.

San Diego went ahead 3-2 in the third, highlighted by Brian Giles’ 12th homer. Barfield hit an RBI double, and another run scored when Dave Roberts hit into a double play.

Tulowitzki tied it with his 429-foot shot to straightaway center field leading off the fifth. Things have gotten consistently better for the shortstop, who went 0-for-4 in his big league debut on Wednesday. He got his first hit on Thursday, an infield single against the Mets, then got his first RBI on Friday at Los Angeles. He went 4-for-4 Sunday in a win over the Dodgers.

Fogg followed with a single. Helton reached with one out when Barfield, the second baseman, bobbled his grounder for an error. Holliday gave Colorado a 5-3 lead with his two-out double into the left-field corner on a full-count pitch from Williams.

Russell Branyan pulled San Diego to 5-4 with two outs in the sixth, hitting a 430-foot homer into the Padres’ bullpen beyond the fence in left-center off Tom Martin.

Notes: It was Colorado’s second straight road win after snapping a nine-game road losing streak. … Last month, the Rockies lost six straight games, then took two of three from the Padres in Denver. … The Rockies recalled C J.D. Closser and purchased the contract of RHP Nate Field from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Field made his Rockies debut by striking out the first two batters in the seventh, making him the second Denver-born player in team history. The other was RHP Mark Knudson, who made four appearances in 1993.

AP-ES-09-05-06 0002EDT