Major League Baseball

Padres 6, Rockies 5(12)

Published Jun. 7, 2013 7:07 a.m. ET

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Head down and arms churning, pinch hitter Yasmani Grandal hustled his way down the line and lunged for first base.

Maybe the throw beat him to the bag, maybe it didn't. He couldn't really tell.

Grandal drove in the go-ahead run with a fielder's choice grounder in the 12th inning to lift the San Diego Padres to a 6-5 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

But the bang-bang play wasn't without some drama.

With the bases loaded and one out, Grandal sent a chopper to third that Nolan Arenado fielded behind the bag, stepping on the base and quickly throwing to first. Grandal was ruled safe, though replays appeared to show he may have been out by a step. Rockies manager Walt Weiss ran out to argue with first base umpire Ed Hickox before returning to the dugout.

A bad break for the Rockies.

However, Arenado admitted after the game that he didn't step on the bag before throwing, even though the runner was called out.

That could have been a bad break for the Padres.

''All that matters is that we got a run and we ended up winning,'' Grandal said.

Padres manager Bud Black played coy about the game-deciding play, insisting he hadn't seen a replay yet so he was going to reserve judgment.

''All I know is liked how the game turned out,'' said Black, whose team snapped a six-game skid against the Rockies. ''Loved how the game turned out.

''A lot of resolve from our group. It's a great win. If you lose that, it's a tough one.''

Certainly is.

''That's how it goes sometimes,'' Weiss said.

Luke Gregerson (4-2) pitched two shutout innings and Brad Boxberger threw the 12th for his first save of the season, getting Michael Cuddyer to ground out to end the game.

Manuel Corpas (0-1) gave up a one-out single to Chase Headley and a double to Kyle Blanks in the 12th. He intentionally walked Jedd Gyorko to set the stage for Grandal.

All this after Wilin Rosario tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth. He also had an RBI double in the sixth.

Cameron Maybin drove in two runs in his return from the disabled list after missing 45 games with a right wrist injury. The speedy outfielder finished 2 for 5 with a walk and two stolen bases.

Maybin led off the 11th with a liner that bounced off the glove of Eric Young Jr., and the hustling Maybin easily coasted into third. Nick Hundley lined a ball to second baseman D.J. LeMahieu and then Alexi Amarista hit one-hopper to Corpas, who threw home to get Maybin after he broke on contact. Everth Cabrera struck out to end the inning.

Young had a chance to win it in the 11th with a deep drive to center, but Maybin hauled it in at the warning track.

''Cam had a nice night, no doubt about it,'' said Black, whose team jumped out to a four-run lead in the fourth only to see it evaporate.

The Rockies squandered a chance to end the game in the ninth when Jonathan Herrera began by drawing a walk and was bunted over to second. Arenado sent a sinking liner to right field, but it was caught by a hard-charging Chris Denorfia. Carlos Gonzalez then flew out to end the inning.

Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, the heart of the Rockies' order, finished a combined 0 for 11.

''That's hard to do, especially the way they're swinging it,'' Black said.

Andrew Cashner threw seven solid innings, surrendering three runs, and was in line for the win before the bullpen let it slip away. Dale Thayer entered in the eighth and gave up a two-out single to Jordan Pacheco followed by Rosario's two-run homer to left.

Cashner accomplished a feat that few pitchers have this season - he bottled up Gonzalez and Tulowitzki. The power hitters entered the game with 90 combined RBIs, the most in the NL among teammates.

Even more, Gonzalez and Tulowitzki were coming off a contest in Cincinnati on Wednesday in which they went a combined 8 for 10 with five homers and nine RBIs.

But they couldn't get anything going against Cashner, finishing a combined 0 for 7. Gonzalez, in particular, struggled against Cashner, striking out twice and popping out in foul territory with runners on board in the fifth.

''Crazy game,'' Weiss said. ''The guys were locked in 24 hours ago. It's not going to be that way every night.''

NOTES: To make room on the roster for Maybin, San Diego placed INF Yonder Alonso (bruised right hand) on the 15-day disabled list. Alonso has six homers and a team-leading 29 RBIs this season. ... The Rockies haven't announced who will throw Saturday in place of RHP Tyler Chatwood, who's expected to miss one start after leaving his last outing in Cincinnati with soreness in his triceps. He was scheduled for light throwing Thursday to see how the arm responded. ''He's got to pass all the tests to make sure we don't have to DL him,'' Weiss said. ... The Rockies were without OF Dexter Fowler, who was held out of the starting lineup for a second straight day because of sickness.