In familiar setting, Bryant breaks out with two hits, RBI

CHICAGO -- From one angle, it looked like Rockies DH Kris Bryant was subtly pumping his fist as he ran to first base in the sixth inning Wednesday against the Cubs.

Bryant -- playing in the iconic ballpark where he rose to MLB stardom -- had just knocked a single between Cubs infielders Christopher Morel and Dansby Swanson, driving home Jacob Stallings, but that wasn’t his actual gesture.

“My glove was super sticky,” Bryant said, chuckling. “I was just looking at it when I was running to first.”

It would be hard to blame Bryant if that had been a celebration. His single got the Rockies on the board and helped spark a comeback in their eventual 9-8 loss to the Cubs. It also marked Bryant’s first hit this season.

Bryant got off to a slow start, going hitless through his first five games -- the longest hitless streak to begin a season in his career. Through two at-bats Wednesday, he was 0-for-18 with 10 strikeouts this season.

For perspective, Drew Stubbs set the Rockies’ all-time mark for longest hitless streak to begin a season by going 0-for-21 (April 6 to May 1, 2015).

Every player wants to get off to a fast start. Bryant is no exception, but he also has perspective as a veteran in his 10th Major League season.

“Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t. You’ve just got to keep going," Bryant said. … "I feel like my last three at-bats there were a huge step in the right direction.”

With how easy it perhaps can be to magnify results out of the gate, that veteran perspective is important.

“I feel like I've matured a lot over the last handful years in just realizing, when you kind of go out there and try too hard, things usually don't go your way,” Bryant said. “I’ll just keep putting in the work and being prepared. That's all you can really do in this game. That's all you can really control, and I'm proud of that work that I put in and I’m confident that the results will keep showing up.”

Bryant had some encouraging moments earlier this week, such as the line drive that deflected off third baseman Christopher Morel’s glove and flyout to the left-field wall on Monday. The liner to Morel was initially called a hit but was later ruled an error.

After striking out his first two trips to the plate Wednesday, he jumped on a sinker left over the plate by Mark Leiter Jr. in the sixth, smashing it into left field for a base hit. He worked a four-pitch walk against Yency Almonte in the eighth and then singled against Adbert Alzolay in the ninth.

“Everybody wants to get off to a good start,” manager Bud Black said. “Mookie Betts is probably setting the standard for this year, right, his start. He's riding the high. When it's the other way, it's tough. Bryce Harper, I think, was 0-for-11 or 0-for-12, and he had a big night with six RBIs and a grand slam [Tuesday]. So, it's going to turn for the good players. It's going to turn; it's going to turn in a big way, too.”

Bryant hasn’t been alone in his slow start. The Rockies' offense entered Wednesday last in MLB with a 46 wRC+ and 24th in OPS. Through six games, they scored 16 runs, and nine came in Saturday’s win over the D-backs, though Chicago’s wintery conditions this week presented a unique challenge.

Bryant’s single cut the Cubs’ lead Wednesday to 5-1. Colorado fell behind 8-2 through six innings but scored six runs over the next two innings to tie things up.

For Bryant and the Rockies, Wednesday could be something to build off of offensively in Friday’s home opener.

“Obviously, the game didn't end the way we wanted to, but it shows a lot of fight after kind of waiting around all day and playing through some crazy conditions. That’s what I love about this team. Regardless of the win-losses, whatever the other team has, I've never seen us roll over or give up. That's a big, huge attribute to have, because this game is gonna dish you some really, really tough times, and it's just how you respond to that and how you keep showing up.

“I know these guys will keep showing up, and we got our home opener here in a couple of days.”