Arenado’s bases-loaded walk lifts Rockies

DENVER — Nolan Arenado walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Colorado Rockies beat the New York Mets 5-4 on Thursday. Charlie Blackmon and Mark Reynolds homered for the Rockies, who maintained a 5½ game lead over Milwaukee for the NL’s second wild card slot.

Mets reliever Hansel Robles began the ninth by hitting Jonathan Lucroy.

After a sacrifice by Pat Valaika, Blackmon was intentionally walked and DJ LeMahieu loaded the bases with another walk. Robles got Arenado down 0-2 but the All-Star third baseman worked the count full. Robles’ sent his last pitch to the wall behind home plate, bringing in Lucroy with the winning run.

Greg Holland (2-1) pitched the ninth for Colorado. Holland returned after missing two games after cutting his right index finger in his kitchen.

Colorado took a 2-0 lead in the third but Yoenis Cespedes homered and starter Rafael Montero’s run-scoring single in the fifth — his first career RBI — tied it at 2-2.

Blackmon hit his 25th homer in the fifth and Reynolds his 23rd in the sixth to give Colorado leads, but the Mets rallied after each home run to tie the game at 4-4. David Zalubowski / The Associated Press

Colorado’s Nolan Arenado (left) is congratulated by first base coach Tony Diaz after drawing a walk with the bases loaded to force in the winning run.

when he was hit with a Tyler Chatwood pitch that bounced before the plate and over the shoulder of catcher Ryan Hanigan in the top of the fourth inning.