ATLANTA • Taylor Buchholz chalked up this loss to confusion.

The Rockies reliever balked in the winning run, allowing pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson to score from third and giving the Atlanta Braves a 5-4 victory over the Rockies in 10 innings Tuesday night.

“I took the sign, something I’ve done dozens of times,” Buchholz said. “I was going to throw a curveball. I got the grip, and I don’t know what happened.”

Buchholz, pitching from the stretch, had already moved his feet to begin his windup when he paused, apparently wanting to restart the pitch.

Home plate umpire Wally Bell instantly threw up his arms and waved home Johnson for the winning run.

Omar Infante, who was preparing to face Buchholz at the plate, never took a pitch in the at-bat.

“As soon as I did it, I knew it was a balk,” Buchholz said. “I’d rather they beat me with a hit.”

Colorado has lost three straight and four of five. The Rockies began Tuesday six games behind Los Angeles in the NL West.

Atlanta, which ended a two-game losing streak, had lost 20 of 27.

Julian Tavarez (1-2) earned the victory with a scoreless 10th inning.

Buchholz (6-6) lost for the third time in his past five appearances. He had two out when Johnson singled and moved to third on Josh Anderson’s double.

“We won a game on a balk once, but it wasn’t a walkoff balk,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “We scratched and clawed. We were down three runs, then got back in it. We were talking a tightrope most of the way. I still thought we’d find a way to win it.”

Brian McCann’s RBI single and Casey Kotchman’s two-run single gave the Braves a 3-0 lead in the first.

The Rockies scored all their runs on homers.

Brad Hawpe’s 24th homer, a two-run shot off Atlanta’s Jorge Campillo, cut the Braves’ lead to 3-2 in the fourth.

After the Braves took a 4-2 lead in the sixth on Jeff Francoeur’s RBI double, Chris Iannetta hit his 15th homer in the seventh.

Garrett Atkins’ 19th homer forced a 4-all tie in the ninth off Braves closer Mike Gonzalez, who blew his first save since June 25, 2004 and end the major leagues’ longest active streak at 39.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Gonzalez said.

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