CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, including the game-winner on a bases-loaded walk, to rally past the Colorado Rockies 5-4 on Monday night at Wrigley Field.

Daniel Palencia earned the win for the Cubs, improving to 2-1, while Juan Mejia took the loss, falling to 1-6, after allowing the tying and winning runs in the final frame. The Cubs improved to 38-35, while the Rockies dropped to 27-46.

The game, played before 38,337 fans, lasted 3 hours, 12 minutes.

Colorado seized an early lead in the top of the first inning when Willi Castro lined a single to left field. But the Rockies could not capitalize further, and the Cubs answered immediately in the bottom half when Pete Crow-Armstrong launched a solo home run to center field, his 13th of the season, tying the game at 1-1.

The score remained unchanged until the sixth inning. Colorado pushed a run across in the top half when Cole Carrigg drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Tyler Freeman. The Rockies added three more runs in the top of the eighth, punctuated by Carrigg’s three-run home run to left field, his third of the year, giving Colorado a 4-1 lead.

Carrigg finished 1 for 3 with four RBIs. Castro went 2 for 4 at the plate for the Rockies, and Freeman added a single in a 1-for-5 performance. However, Colorado managed only seven hits overall and left eight runners on base.

The Cubs chipped away. In the bottom of the sixth, Matt Shaw tripled to right field, scoring Moises Ballesteros and cutting the deficit to 4-2. Then in the eighth, the Cubs pulled within one. With one out, Pedro Ramirez singled. After a forceout, Michael Conforto walked, and Crow-Armstrong lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Shaw to make it 4-3.

The Cubs’ decisive rally came in the bottom of the ninth. Seiya Suzuki drew a leadoff walk. Mejia, who had entered the game in the eighth, then induced a fielder’s choice grounder by Ian Happ, but Mejia’s throwing error on the play allowed Suzuki to advance to third. Nico Hoerner walked to load the bases. Ramirez followed with a sharp line-drive single to left field, scoring Suzuki and tying the game at 4-4. With the bases still loaded, Matt Shaw worked a walk off Mejia, forcing in Happ with the winning run.

Mejia pitched one-third of an inning, allowing no hits but one earned run, and he struck out one. The error proved costly. Victor Vodnik, in his appearance, allowed one earned run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning. Brennan Bernardino gave up two hits but no runs in one-third of an inning. For the Cubs, Palencia earned the win by working out of a jam in the top of the ninth. He struck out three of the four batters he faced, allowing one walk.

The Cubs finished with 10 hits, led by Crow-Armstrong’s homer and double. Alex Bregman singled twice, and Ramirez had two hits, including the game-tying single. Shaw delivered the walk-off walk and also tripled.

The game marked the fourth meeting between the two clubs this season, with the Cubs taking the series opener. The teams had split a three-game set in Colorado the previous week, with the Cubs winning 9-3 on June 11, the Rockies winning 3-2 on June 10, and Colorado winning 7-3 on June 9.

The Rockies had entered on a high note, having crushed the Athletics 23-9 on Sunday. The Cubs had lost five of their previous six games, including a 5-1 defeat at San Francisco on Sunday.

In the top of the ninth, the Rockies had a chance to extend their lead. Edouard Julien walked to lead off, but Palencia struck out Brett Sullivan, Castro and Freeman to end the threat.

Jake McCarthy went 1 for 4 with a single but was picked off first base in the second inning. Kyle Karros had a quiet night, going 0 for 3. Troy Johnston, who entered as a pinch hitter, was hit by a pitch but went 0 for 1.

The Cubs’ Shota Imanaga started and worked five scoreless innings after the first, allowing three hits and striking out five. He left with the game tied 1-1. The Cubs’ bullpen held Colorado scoreless until the eighth, when Carrigg’s homer off reliever Ethan Roberts gave the Rockies a brief lead. Roberts allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

Colorado’s Michael Lorenzen started and pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out five. He walked two. He left with the game tied 1-1.

The Cubs will host the Rockies again Tuesday in the second game of the three-game series. Colorado then returns home for a six-game homestand against Pittsburgh and Boston, while the Cubs welcome Toronto before a road trip to New York and Milwaukee.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago Cubs 5, Colorado Rockies 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cubs a 72.80 percent probability to win. Chicago was installed as the pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5.