DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado had two hits each in Colorado's eight-run eighth inning, Matt Holliday homered and the Rockies pounded the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 in Denver on Saturday night.

Carlos Gonzalez had three hits, including a tiebreaking double in the eighth, and reliever Adam Ottavino (6-2) got the win despite giving up a run to tie the game 1-1 in the top of the eighth.

The Cardinals had their nine-game road winning streak snapped and saw the National League wild-card race tighten. The Rockies tied Arizona for first place in the NL West. Colorado is also tied with Milwaukee for the second wild-card spot a half-game behind St. Louis.

Colorado's German Marquez allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings and struck out nine. Only a strong performance by St. Louis starter John Gant kept him from getting the victory.

Pinch-hitting for Marquez, Holliday hit a solo homer in the seventh, his first for the Rockies since 2008. The 38-year-old is in his second stint with Colorado after being added to the roster earlier this week.

St. Louis rallied to tie it in the eighth off Ottavino. Harrison Bader led off with a double, and pinch hitter Greg Garcia was safe on a sacrifice bunt to put runners on the corners.

After a strikeout, Matt Carpenter walked on a slider in the dirt that catcher Tony Wolters lost sight of, then kicked, allowing Bader to race home to tie it 1-1.

Colorado came back against the Cardinals' bullpen when it sent 14 men to the plate. LeMahieu led off with a single, and Gonzalez and Arenado followed with RBI doubles off Dakota Hudson (4-1) to make it 3-1.

Brett Cecil relieved Hudson and allowed David Dahl's RBI single and a run-scoring double by Wolters. Ian Desmond drove in two more with a double off Mike Mayers, and Charlie Blackmon made it 8-1 with the fifth Colorado double of the inning, which tied a franchise record.

LeMahieu capped the scoring in the big inning with an RBI single, one of 10 Colorado hits in the frame.

Gant gave up one run over seven innings and didn't allow a hit until Gonzalez lined a two-out single in the fourth. He walked five and struck out six.

--Field Level Media