Bryant stays hot, lifts Rox with 2 more HRs

PHOENIX -- On a Friday night that was baking outside Chase Field, and sizzling under the collar beneath the dome, Kris Bryant was the beacon of cool the Rockies knew all along they needed.

Bryant belted a pair of solo homers -- after homering in a Colorado uniform for the first time on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium -- as part of a three-hit performance. The second home run came in the seventh inning to give the Rockies breathing room in their 6-5 victory over the D-backs.

The second homer also put the focus back on the game after two spicy pitches in the fifth. One from D-backs starter Zac Gallen that connected with the left wrist of C.J. Cron, another from Rockies starter Chad Kuhl that sailed behind Daulton Varsho and created many hints and allegations.

Bryant’s power, which is now showing after early-season back trouble, provided the calming influence Colorado sought when it signed him this spring for seven years and $182 million. He is batting .350 (14-for-40) with five RBIs and nine runs scored in 10 games since returning from the injured list on June 27.

While avenging a brother can be appropriate, Bryant offered a cool reminder. Winning the game, which allowed the Rockies to match the D-backs for fourth in the National League West at 37-47, was the aim.

Bryant's second homer, which came off Arizona left-hander Kyle Nelson, gave Colorado just enough cushion. The D-backs scored one run in the ninth off Alex Colomé, who walked off clapping with a save after Jordan Luplow’s screaming liner went straight to shortstop Garrett Hampson to end it.

“When things are going well, for me, I don't think too much,” Bryant said. “So I wasn't thinking too much. It was 1-0, he threw a fastball high. I just reacted to a slider in the zone. You’ve got to take advantage of pitches that are in the middle, and that was one of them.”

Friday’s game was the type that could lead an unfocused team off the winning path. Bryant set it all straight.

The pitch to Cron was not in a situation to send a message. Gallen, who gave up Bryant’s first homer with one out in the first, had walked Brendan Rodgers with the bases loaded, then hit Cron to tie the game at 4.

But Cron has been hit by the D-backs seven times in his career. The only player hit by one opponent more often is Mark Canha (eight by the Angels). Cron, who noted that high and tight is the scouting report on him but questions being hit so often, has been plunked twice by Arizona in Spring Training.

After a pitch from Kuhl sailed behind Varsho in the bottom of the inning, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo pleaded to the umpires, who issued warnings to both dugouts. Black leaped from the visiting dugout and screamed at the umpires, although his anger was directed toward the D-backs and Lovullo. The rhetoric flowed from both directions postgame.

Bryant stayed his usual soft-spoken self until sending Nelson’s pitch into the left-center-field stands. He also doubled in the ninth.

Since Bryant’s return, the Rockies are 6-5. At the start of the season -- before his first trip to the IL -- they were 10-6. While the team’s record during Bryant’s absences shows that the depth is not of contender quality, the Rox believe his presence makes them hard to beat.

“The at-bats were good,” Black said. “Obviously, the two home runs were great swings. The last double? Good swing. The fly ball to center -- good swing, just a little underneath.

“But that’s the Kris Bryant that I've seen in the past. That's the Kris Bryant that he sees himself as also. He's healthy. He's strong. He's comfortable. And he's confident.”

Added Bryant: “Hitting is pretty contagious, just in general -- not just me. Just put good at-bats together and pass the torch to the next guy.”

Bryant’s outlook could have the Rockies playing with the right kind of fire.