DENVER -- Nolan Arenado won the game with his walk-off homer and saved it time after time with his work at the hot corner. So, as Joe Thatcher, the reliever who gave up the game-winning homer, succinctly surmised, "Tonight was his night." Indeed, it was. Arenado hit the winning homer to begin the ninth inning and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 10-9 on Friday night after squandering a six-run lead. The 22-year-old rookie sent a 1-1 fastball from Thatcher (2-1) over the wall in left field. Arenado sauntered around the bases and then tossed his batting helmet as he rounded third base. He was mobbed by teammates once he stomped on home plate. "It was cool," Arenado said. "Hit a couple in the minor leagues. Hitting one up here is special." But his homer was only part of the story. He made one diving snare after another, including one that ended a bases-loaded threat in the seventh to keep the game tied. That play was what had everyone talking. "The home run is going to be the one on the highlights," said Matt Belisle (4-2), who pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win. "To see him get a big hit like that, youre just so happy for the kid. "Defensively, he was stellar. Hopefully, hes going to feel real good tomorrow and keep it rolling." Carlos Gonzalez had two triples and drove in three runs before leaving with a left knee injury in the seventh. Dexter Fowler returned to the lineup after sitting out with a migraine and finished with three hits, while Todd Helton drove in three runs. The Padres trailed by six runs early in the game and 9-4 heading into the seventh, before rallying for five runs. Chase Headley began the inning when he was hit by Rob Scahill, possibly as retaliation for when starter Edinson Volquez plunked Troy Tulowitzki in the second. "Just got away from me," Scahill said after the game. Carlos Quentin then hit a two-run homer and Jedd Gyorko followed with a solo shot. After a double by Kyle Blanks, Cameron Maybin made it a one-run game with an RBI single. That was all for Scahill, who faced five batters and gave up five runs without getting an out. Everth Cabrera tied it when he beat out an infield single. After Headley -- batting for a second time in the inning -- struck out with the bases loaded, Quentin laced a liner to third. Arenado snared it and threw a strike to first to end the inning. "Defence is a big part of my game," Arenado said. "A lot of people didnt think I could play defence. Its funny, Ive been showing more of my defence than my bat lately." Gonzalez wasnt around for the finish after slipping in the sixth when he was trying to scramble out of the batters box. He gingerly ran down the line before limping into the dugout. He trotted out to left to start the seventh, only to be replaced by Jonathan Herrera on a double-switch. Michael Cuddyer usually wouldve gone in, but hes sidelined with a rib strain. Gonzalez downplayed his injury, saying the knee has been bothering him since spring training. "Its all right. Just sore," he said. "Right now, I feel good." After scoring three times off Volquez in the first, Colorado broke open the game with a five-run second -- a big inning set up by another debatable call at first base. Fowler put down a one-out bunt and appeared to be out by a step, only to have first-base umpire Jim Joyce rule him safe. Gonzalez followed with a two-run triple. Soon after, Helton, Arenado and Yorvit Torrealba added RBI singles. The night before, the Padres scored the go-ahead run in the 12th when pinch hitter Yasmani Grandal was called safe at first on his bases-loaded fielders choice grounder. Replays seemed to indicate he was out by a step. Blanks, who nearly didnt join the Padres in Denver for this series, had a big game for San Diego, hitting a two-run homer in the second and adding a run-scoring single in the fifth. With Maybin set to come off the disabled list, the Padres were planning to send Blanks to the minors. Instead, Yonder Alonso went on the DL with a bruised right hand and Blanks had to catch a plane to the Mile High City. Jorge De La Rosa didnt have his best stuff and he surrendered four runs and 11 hits in five shaky innings. Volquez never got on track, giving up career highs in runs (9) and hits (11) while lasting just 2 1-3 innings. He was let off the hook for the loss with the Padres late surge. "It was tough. Thats the first time thats happened to me in my whole career," Volquez said. "Ive got to be able to make adjustments, throw quality pitches." Fowler returned to the field after dealing with horrible headaches that had him pulling the shades down inside his house. He even had a CAT scan just to be safe and said everything checked out fine. "Every time I put my head down, I thought I was going to pass out," Fowler said. NOTES: Headley left late in the game with tightness in his right calf. ... The Padres will send LHP Eric Stults (4-5) to the mound on Saturday. The Rockies havent announced a replacement for RHP Tyler Chatwood, who has a triceps injury. The top candidate to fill in appears to be LHP Jeff Francis, whos eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list. Francis said his groin injury is 100 per cent. ... It was the Rockies fifth walk-off win of the season. ... The Padres outhit the Rockies, 17-16. ... Colorado has won seven of eight over the Padres this season. Phillies Jerseys China . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Cheap Phillies Jerseys .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/ . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Stitched Phillies Jerseys . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Phillies Jerseys 2019 . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina wont have a difficult time finding motivation this season.The memories of losing in the NCAA championship game on a last-second 3-pointer to Villanova still sting more than six months later. It was the crushing final play in a 33-win season that saw the Tar Heels go from a preseason No. 1-ranked team questioned about its toughness to a group that matured enough to sweep the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles before reaching the Final Four.There are enough veteran returnees for UNC to have the potential to do it again, driven by the memory of coming so oh-so-close to cutting down the nets in April.Every time I turn around and look up at the banners, where the national championship banners are, junior Joel Berry II said, sometimes it hurts me that we dont have the 2016 national championship up there. So its just motivation to me.Some Tar Heels, including Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams, still havent watched film from the loss.I thought we had a great, great year but its just like somebody pulls your heart out and taunts you by shaking it in front of you, Williams said. But youve got to get over it.The Tar Heels (33-7, 14-4 ACC) have some big holes with the losses of four-year starter Marcus Paige -- the guy UNC looked for when it needed a big shot -- and Associated Press all-American Brice Johnson inside. But they return six of their top eight scorers while adding a top-10 recruiting class.Berry is the top returning scorer (12.8 points), while fellow junior Justin Jackson (12.2) and senior big man Kennedy Meeks are returning starters. The Tar Heels also return ACC sixth man of the Isaiah Hicks, now likely to earn a promotion into the starting lineup.On the bench, senior Nate Britt provides backcourt depth along with junior Theo Pinson -- out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right foot -- and sophomore wing Kenny Williams III.The Tar Heels also will get help up front from McDonalds All-American Tony Bradley Jr., who headlines a wing-heavy recruiting class.---Some other things to know about the Tar Heels thiss season:PINSONS INJURY: Pinsons injury during a recent practice, announced Friday, has the potential to be a big blow.dddddddddddd The versatile swingman is the teams top defender, a good passer and a leader with a knack for keeping up team morale .BERRY IN CHARGE?: Berry looks like the top candidate to take Paiges role as the guy to entrust with taking the big shot. He was the teams best outside shooter (38 percent from 3-point range) and led the team in assists, steals and free-throw percentage. And in a sign that Berry could be ready for a leap, he upped his game by averaging 13.7 points and shooting 50 percent in six NCAA Tournament games -- ending with 20 points against Villanova.HICKS FOUL TROUBLE: Keeping Hicks on the floor last season was a challenge, including twice in the final 10 games when he picked up four or five fouls in fewer than 10 minutes. The 6-foot-9 forward brings scoring and rebounding, and he was the teams defensive player of the game eight times -- third most on the team behind Paige and Berry. The Tar Heels need him out there this year with fewer frontcourt options.JACKSONS GROWTH: Jackson has good size on the perimeter and has been a complimentary scorer through his first two seasons. The Tar Heels need him to become a consistent scorer now in a leading role, especially when it comes to improving his 29-percent shooting from behind the arc last year. Hes an unselfish player and has occasionally seemed content to blend into the background, but the Tar Heels are tougher to stop when hes playing assertively .THE ROOKIES: The 6-foot-10 Bradley, a native of Bartow, Florida, will have a shot at immediate minutes for a team with only Meeks and Hicks returning to the frontcourt. The rest of that recruiting class brings depth on the wing with Brandon Robinson, Seventh Woods and Shea Rush.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college basketball site at http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '