DENVER (Ticker) -- Larry Walker's running catch in deep right field ended a game that should have been put out of its misery much earlier.

Walker prevented a bases-clearing extra-base hit and preserved a sloppy 14-13 victory for the Colorado Rockies over the St. Louis Cardinals in a game that featured 32 hits, 18 walks and lasted four hours and 19 minutes.

Jeff Cirillo's two-run double sparked an eighth-run sixth-inning outburst as the Rockies turned a four-run deficit into a 13-9 lead. But after suffering a 9-3 setback in the first game of this day-night doubleheader, pitching-poor Colorado had to know it was far from out of the woods.

Terry Shumpert's RBI single in the eighth gave the Rockies a five-run cushion before Colorado relievers Julian Tavarez and Gabe White nearly blew the game.

"I've been around long enough to know that every run counts here," Shumpert said. "You could kind of see (the St. Louis) rally happening when the first two guys got on. And then you think that run (in the eighth) might be big."

Tavarez was hammered for four runs and three hits while retiring just one batter. He walked Eric Davis to load the bases with one out before White entered.

The lefthander retired red-hot Jim Edmonds on a sacrifice fly that cut the deficit to 14-11 before issuing a bases-loaded walk to Mike Matheny and hitting Eli Marrero to force in another run.

Placido Polanco lined White's next offering toward the gap in right, but Walker -- a five-time Gold Glove winner -- ranged to his left and speared the ball just in front of the warning track in right-center.

"If I missed that one, I'd give back all my Gold Gloves," Walker said. "I took a step in and it turned a little bit more than I thought it would. Then again, I'd been standing out there all day and I'm a little delirious. It was a long day and we were happy to come out of there with one out of two."

"We had a great rally," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "Both Edmonds and Polanco, you couldn't hit those balls any harder. A little more topspin and they're gappers and little more underspin and they're home runs."

The game was one minute shy of matching the National League record for a nine-inning game, established here against the Dodgers in 1996.

"I'm glad we were able to win that game," White said. "It was a really big win to come back like that. I'm glad I could help, but I wish I didn't have to. Everybody kept fouling off two-strike pitches. It was the craziest thing I've ever been through. I've got a pretty good defense behind me and that's a reflection why Larry has got all those Gold Gloves."

Edmonds started the offensive onslaught in the first with a three-run homer, his league-leading seventh of the season, but Aaron Ledesma responded with a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the frame to set the stage for the seemingly interminable contest.

Marrero doubled home a run in the second, hit solo homer to center in the third to help St. Louis to a 6-3 lead. Cardinals second baseman Fernando Vina matched a career high with five hits. He doubled and scored in the fourth inning and singled and scored in the sixth as St. Louis opened a 9-5 cushion.

"It was a good day, but it was tough," Vina said. "I wanted to get that `W' big time. We battled to the end. I was impressed by our whole team, we didn't give up."

But Colorado exploded in the bottom of the inning. Neifi Perez doubled to right, Scott Servais Walked and Cirillo greeted reliever Dave Wainhouse with a two-run double to left. Brian Hunter sacrificed Cirillo to third before Shumpert walked.

Mike Mohler (0-1) came on and walked Walker before Todd Helton singled home a pair of runs to even the score at 9-9. Pinch-hitter Jeff Manto doubled home Walker and Servais and Hunter capped the outburst with RBI singles as Colorado built a 13-9 lead.

Jose Jimenez (3-0), who pitched a no-hitter with the Cardinals last season, earned the win in relief, recording the last two outs in the sixth. White earned his first save despite yielding two walks, hitting a batter and allowing Polanco's screaming liner.

Garrett Stephenson started for St. Louis and surrendered seven runs -- five earned -- and seven hits over five-plus innings.

"Stephenson wasn't the losing pitcher, but there was no way he can allow some of that stuff to happen," LaRussa. "He's capable of using his pitches better and keeping the ball down in key spots more often when he goes inside. He's better than that."

Colorado lefthander Brian Bohannon was victimized for seven runs and seven hits over three innings, walking five and striking out three.