DENVER -- Elehuris Montero rewarded manager Bud Black’s decision to place him in the cleanup spot in his avant-garde lineup Wednesday afternoon with a two-run homer, which gave the Rockies their enduring lead in a 7-3 victory over the Cubs at Coors Field.

“I was extremely happy to be in that position,” Montero said, with bullpen catcher Aaron Muñoz interpreting. “I want to be a cleanup hitter. Honestly, I wanted to show them that I could do it.”

The fact that Montero's placement in such a key spot would be considered forward-thinking speaks volumes. Just a few weeks ago, doing so would have been nuts.

Montero started the season as the regular third baseman, but defensive struggles and an unacceptable strikeout rate led to a position change to first base and two options to Triple-A Albuquerque. Through Aug. 13, Montero was hitting .192 with strikeouts in 68 of his 164 plate appearances.

Veteran C.J. Cron had been traded to the Angels, so Montero was sharing first base with Michael Toglia. But Kris Bryant was on the mend from a fractured left index finger and aiming to play some first base, while Hunter Goodman was burning up Triple-A and banging at the Rockies’ door. Montero needed to produce to keep receiving chances.

The 25-year-old has responded with a .382/.463/.632 slash line over his past 21 games to force his way into the lineup. On Wednesday, Montero served as the designated hitter with Bryant -- who homered for the second straight game -- at first base and Goodman in right field.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Black, who added that giving Charlie Blackmon a day off was the catalyst for the lineup, and the need to put his hottest hitters higher was the philosophy behind it.

“The bat speed is there. He’s laying off the borderline breaking ball down and away a little bit more. We've seen it a couple times this series. Getting his pitch, not fouling it off, squaring it up and putting it in play. He’s got power. He's got strength. It’s all-field hitting. He’s in a good spot.”

Nolan Jones, batting leadoff in place of Blackmon, added to his National League Rookie of the Year candidacy with a two-run shot off Jameson Taillon in the fifth. After Bryant reached on left fielder Ian Happ’s two-base error, Montero pulled his sixth homer of the season into the left-center-field seats.

Ryan McMahon homered two batters after Bryant’s leadoff solo shot in the seventh to complete Colorado's four-homer day, as the Rockies took two of three for their first series victory since Aug. 18-20 against the White Sox.

Montero, the key prospect in the February 2021 deal that sent Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals, has put up strong numbers in Triple-A. This year, he fashioned a .359/.411/.718 slash line with Albuquerque, with 15 homers and 48 RBIs in just 35 games. It turned out that Albuquerque manager Pedro Lopez had been his hitting coach in the Dominican Winter League at Estrellas (he’ll play for Águilas this year), so Montero had someone who knew his swing and approach.

“I knew being sent down meant I had to work a little harder -- I had to prove myself,” Montero said. “Pedro Lopez is always pushing me. He’s always in my ear, giving me that confidence.”

Major League production was absent before Montero opened up to teammates and coaches about his struggles during a hitters meeting in Milwaukee. Unburdened, Montero found his confidence, and he settled on some simple pointers from hitting coach Hensley Meulens.

Now, the Montero who starred in Triple-A is showing in the Majors.

“He’s probably the best hitter I’ve ever played with,” Jones said. “I’ve played with a lot of good hitters, but ‘Monty’ in Triple-A this year was just unbelievable. He came up here and it felt like he was a little timid, and it’s easy to be in that position. To see him get comfortable and to watch what he’s doing is awesome.”

The fixes were simple for Montero, who receives an email from the coaches and analytics staff each Monday to reinforce adjustments he is putting into play. Already close to the plate (he has been hit five times), Montero has worked on “keeping his head on the plate” and not spinning too quickly for his eyes to track the pitch.

“I keep it simple," Montero said. "Continue to work hard, keep doing what I’m doing."