DENVER (AP) -San Diego manager Bud Black had two pinch-hitting options in the ninth inning - a contact hitter in Luis Rodriguez or the free-swinging Edgar Gonzalez.

He went with the first option. It turned out to be a wise choice.

Rodriguez laced a run-scoring single through a drawn-in infield, lifting the Padres to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.

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Given Rodriguez's recent track record, it's a wonder Black picked him. Before his game-winning hit, Rodriguez had struggled as a pinch hitter, going 1 for 19 since the start of 2007.

This time, though, he produced.

``I made the last out last night and I felt so bad,' Rodriguez said. ``Today, it was a better ending.'

Nick Hundley began the inning with a triple into the corner off reliever Manuel Corpas (0-2). He scored easily when Rodriguez's one-out hit scooted through the right side of the infield.

``Look, pinch-hitting is not an easy thing to do,' Black said. ``Luis showed last year that when he is in the game as a starter, he has a knack of situational hitting with guys on third base. He has done what it's taken to get runs in.'

Not bad for a player stopped cold by an allergic reaction to calamari.

He recently missed two games as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong.

``It was scary,' Rodriguez said.

For his teammates, too.

``I'd say 15 of us had (calamari), including me,' Chase Headley said. ``Only Luis got sick. I mean he got really got sick.'

Duaner Sanchez (1-0) earned the win despite a rocky eighth and Heath Bell pitched his way around Todd Helton's two-out double in the ninth for his major league-leading eighth save in as many chances.

He got Garrett Atkins to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game, halting the Padres' three-game skid.

Headley had a two-out, RBI single to tie the game at 3 in the eighth after David Eckstein led off with a double.

The slumping Troy Tulowitzki came up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, but Sanchez got him to hit into an inning-ending double play.

``I'm definitely upset about it,' Tulowitzki said. ``I was in a situation to win the game for the team and I didn't come through.'

Tulowitzki started his second straight game on the bench, entering as part of a double-switch in the seventh. He singled through the middle, ending an 0-for-19 skid and fueling a rally.

After Dexter Fowler's bunt single moved Tulowitzki to second, Ryan Spilborghs brought him in with a liner to right-center. Fowler scored on Helton's base hit to right to put the Rockies up, 3-2.

The Colorado bullpen couldn't hold the lead, giving up two late runs.

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle was particularly concerned with Corpas and his command.

``They're too high,' Hurdle said of his closer's pitches. ``They're not where they need to be ... He's not pounding the bottom of the zone as consistently as he needs to.'

Chad Gaudin, who was called up from Triple-A Portland on Monday, pitched five scoreless innings in his first start for San Diego. He allowed three hits and struck out five.

``You throw five scoreless innings in this park and we'll take it,' Black said.

Notes: The Rockies' official scorer changed the winner of Monday night's game from reliever Jason Grilli to Glendon Rusch (1-0). ... San Diego 1B Adrian Gonzalez stole the first base of his career in the sixth. ... Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa left after six innings due to a blister. He gave up two runs and three hits while striking out six.