DENVER (AP) _ Larry Dierker has heard enough of Todd Helton and his lofty statistics.

The Houston Astros manager has also seen enough of his team's defensive mistakes. Not even normally sure-handed second baseman Craig Biggio was immune Tuesday night, committing only his fourth error of the year as the Astros lost their eighth straight road game, 10-7 to the Colorado Rockies.

``To me this wasn't about Helton. This was about not catching the ball and not playing defense,'' Dierker said. ``When you play in a park that is as offense oriented as this one, you got to be able to make the plays.''

Helton finally didn't have a multihit game, yet still drove in the go-ahead run. After the Rockies wasted a four-run lead, Helton put Colorado ahead for good with a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning

Helton, who leads the majors with a .420 average, went 1-for-1 with three walks, giving him 12 hits in 17 at-bats (.706). He is hitting .500 at home (44-for-88).

Colorado, which led 4-0 and 6-3, fell behind 7-6 in the eighth on Mitch Meluskey's two-run single off Stan Belinda (1-0).

Tom Goodwin tied it with an RBI single off Marc Valdes (1-1) in the bottom half, and Yorkis Perez walked Helton on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded. Darren Bragg added a two-run single.

Before Helton's walk, Valdes appeared to be out of the jam when he induced a potential double-play grounder from Jeff Cirillo. However, shortstop Julio Lugo couldn't come up with Biggio's low throw and the inning continued.

``I didn't have a grip on it and it floated out of my hand and it cost us,'' Biggio said. ``Those are the things that happen when you are in a losing streak, and that team capitalizes on mistakes, especially at home.''

``My perspective is you've got to make the plays here and we didn't make the plays,'' Dierker said. ``If we make the plays we hold the score down to the level where you need it to be to win the game.''

Lance Berkman homered and drove in a career-high four runs for Houston. Richard Hidalgo went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and is 15-for-31 (.484) over eight games.

Goodwin had three hits and two RBIs for the Rockies (27-22), who moved five games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 25, 1997. Jose Jimenez pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save.

``The guys take a lot of pride in themselves and in the way they play the game,'' Colorado acting manager Toby Harrah said. ``Even when we were behind, they stayed up and kept encouraging each other.''

Harrah was managing while Buddy Bell was in Cincinnati attending his daughter's graduation.

Houston starter Scott Elarton allowed six runs and nine hits in six innings, while Colorado's Kevin Jarvis gave up five runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings.

Colorado took a 2-0 lead in the first on Mike Lansing's RBI double and Helton's sacrifice fly, and Goodwin doubled home another run in the second. Jeffrey Hammonds made it 4-0 with a run-scoring single in the third.

Berkman hit an opposite-field, three-run homer in the fourth, but the Rockies made it 6-3 in the fifth on Bragg's RBI single and Brent Mayne's sacrifice fly.

Houston closed to 6-5 in the fifth on RBI grounders by Berkman and Daryle Ward.

Notes: Houston homered for the 17th straight game, extending its team record. ... Astros 3B Ken Caminiti left in the sixth inning with a mild sprained right hamstring. ... Colorado's four-game winning streak is its longest of the year. ... Colorado has enjoyed its best May (18-8), with the previous best being 14-11 in 1996. ... Jay Powell allowed a run and walked a batter in a rehab assignment for Houston's Triple-A affiliate New Orleans in a game at Colorado Springs.