Bryant's HR in 9th with 2 outs lifts Cubs over Rockies
After coming close to hitting a home run the previous few games, Kris Bryant believed he was due to get one to go out.
He got one in a big situation.
Bryant's two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 9-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Colorado had taken an 8-7 lead in the ninth inning on a two-run home run by Carlos Gonzalez -- his second of the game. However, Bryant hit the second pitch he saw from John Axford (3-4) over the wall in left-center to give Chicago a dramatic victory and snap a three-game skid.
"The last three or four games I think I've hit five or six out to the warning track. That's obviously frustrating but I believe in baseball gods and I believe they pay you back and I guess I got one today," Bryant said. "It worked out for us. It was a really good win, that's for sure."
While the Cubs were celebrating a walk-off by their newest franchise cornerstone, it might have been the final night for the Rockies and one of their biggest stars. Fox Sports reported late Monday night the Rockies are trading Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal for Jose Reyes and minor leaguers.
If the trade indeed goes through, it would be a major moment for Colorado. Tulowitzki -- in the midst of a six-year, $118 million contract that runs through 2020 -- is a five-time All-Star hitting .300 with 12 home runs and 53 runs batted in this season.
Prior to the game, Rockies manager Walt Weiss was asked if he'd talked to Tulowitzki about handling distractions arising from trade rumors ahead of Friday's trade deadline.
"I've talked to these guys as a group about all the distractions that come with the trade deadline," Weiss said. "Basically, I told them to control what they can control. There are always distractions at this level during this time period."
Colorado hasn't confirmed the trade.
The Cubs, meanwhile, were basking in one of their most dramatic victories.
Trailing 7-4, the Rockies scored four times in the ninth to move ahead. Jason Motte started the ninth by allowing a pinch-home run to Daniel Descalso, a single to Charlie Blackmon and a double to D.J. LeMahieu.
Rafael Soriano (1-0), added to the roster July 20, then came on and gave up Tulowitzki's run-scoring grounder before Gonzalez, who had four hits, roped a two-run home run into right to put Colorado in front.
Gonzalez continued his torrid stretch after hitting five home runs and batting .476 last week. He hit his 19th homer of the season in the third off Kyle Hendricks to give Colorado a 2-0 lead.
LeMahieu's two-run single in the fourth doubled the Rockies' lead.
Two days after being no-hit by Philadelphia's Cole Hamels, Bryant and Jorge Soler had RBI singles and Chris Denorfia added a run-scoring grounder to pull the Cubs to 4-3 as part of a six-run fourth. Starlin Castro, who had been hitless in his previous three games, then singled to left to drive in two and put the Cubs in front.
Addison Russell's double then drove in Castro, capping the inning and ending the night for Jorge De La Rosa. De La Rosa, who was looking for his third victory of the month, gave up the six runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out two.
"That six-run fourth inning, we definitely needed that," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said.
Chicago added a run in the sixth on Nolan Arenado's throwing error on Castro's grounder, bringing Denorfia in all the way from first and giving the Cubs seven or more runs for the first time since July 7 against St. Louis.
Hendricks pitched five-plus innings and allowed four runs and seven hits while walking three for Chicago, which was coming off a three-game sweep by lowly Philadelphia to slip 2 1/2 games behind San Francisco for the second National League wild-card spot.
LOOKING TO DEAL?
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he'd like to make a deal and outlined the team's plans for the upcoming trade deadline. "I do think if we do something on the bigger end it'll involve players that will help us beyond this year," Epstein said. "If we do something on the smaller side, it'll probably be more for a rental player. And if we do nothing it will be because we couldn't find anything rational that we could actually do. I don't know which of those three directions it will go yet."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: C Michael McKenry (sore right knee) was back in the lineup after not being available behind the plate for a few days.
Cubs: INF Tomny La Stella (right rib cage) could start a rehab assignment later this week.
UP NEXT
Rockies: LHP Yohan Flande (0-1, 4.24 ERA) gets a spot start in the second game of the series.
Cubs: RHP Dallas Beeler (0-0, 6.43 ERA) will start for Chicago.
