DENVER

Todd Helton hit a two-run homer off closer J.J. Putz in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Colorado Rockies rallied for an 8-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on a rain-soaked Saturday night at Coors Field.

With two outs, Helton belted his first homer of the season down the right-field line, and the towering shot stayed just fair. He raised his hands in the air as he rounded the bases and was mobbed by teammates at home plate.

Tyler Chatwood (1-0) pitched two innings and gave up a run to earn the win in relief.

The Diamondbacks were trailing 5-1 when the game was halted by a relentless downpour after four innings.

But the 71-minute break energized their bats, and they came out of the clubhouse swinging.

Miguel Montero hit a three-run homer, and pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt broke a tie with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The lead wouldn’t last as Putz blew his first save of the season.

He hit Marco Scutaro with a pitch to start the ninth inning but got pinch-hitter Jason Giambi to pop up and then struck out Troy Tulowitzki.

That set the stage for Helton, who also delivered what turned out to be the game-winning hit the night before with a double in the eighth.

On this dreary night in the Mile High City, the grounds crew kept shoveling layers of a drying agent on the soaked infield to dry it out, but that hardly helped. The persistent rain made every play an adventure.

So slick was the field that smooth-fielding shortstop Tulowitzki had two throwing errors – in one inning.

Later, left fielder Gerardo Parra slipped while chasing down an RBI double by Eric Young Jr., which made it a 7-6 game.

Hard-luck starter Jhoulys Chacin departed after the rain delay. These days, Chacin can’t win even when the hard-throwing righty is, well, winning.

He was rolling along in the drizzle as he methodically set down the Diamondbacks with a more aggressive approach.