PHILADELPHIA -- The first hit of the season for the Rockies¡¯ Kris Bryant didn¡¯t sound as harmonic as he expected.
In the fifth inning of his fourth game of 2025, Bryant managed a single to left off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler on Wednesday night.
But fittingly for a guy whose form didn¡¯t arrive when the season did, the shattering of his bat didn¡¯t match what Bryant expected.
¡°Honestly, I thought I hit it more on the barrel,¡± Bryant said. ¡°It¡¯s one of the weirder broken bats. It sounded weird, too. It sounded like it exploded.
¡°But the first one is out of the way, and off a good pitcher. I¡¯m kind of happy with the last six at-bats. I¡¯ve been swinging at what I need to be swinging at, and taking pitches. So, just keep doing stuff like that. One foot in front of the other.¡±
Bryant¡¯s start mirrors that of the Rockies¡¯ offense. There¡¯s that whole marathon/sprint bit, but wobbly baby steps don¡¯t make for a good start in any race. Much focus is and will be on Bryant, whose campaign to put three years of injury and low production behind him is off to a 1-for-14 (.071) start. But Wednesday¡¯s 5-1 loss continued an unsure offensive early going for the Rockies.
Once again, the Rockies¡¯ starting pitcher had nothing to show for a solid outing. Kyle Freeland, who threw six scoreless innings in Colorado¡¯s Opening Day loss to the Rays, held a strong Phillies lineup to three runs in 6 2/3 innings. He escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth by striking out Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber. Rockies starters have a 1.61 ERA, yet the team is 1-4.
Hunter Goodman¡¯s home run off Wheeler was his second in two games at Citizens Bank Park -- but those have been the Rockies¡¯ only two runs this series. Ezequiel Tovar is 3-for-20 and Michael Toglia is 1-for-19.
¡°We¡¯ve got to get more guys going, for sure,¡± Rockies manager Bud Black said.
Because of Bryant¡¯s pedigree and the way his seven-year, $182 million contract stands out on the Rockies¡¯ payroll, any list of guys who need to produce has his name at the top.
Like it or not, however, one step at a time may be the logical path.
Most of the injuries that held Bryant to 159 games in the first three years of the contract were to his back. Last season, Bryant played his last game on Aug. 10. Most of the days since were spent strategizing and exercising in hopes he can stay on the field and find his way this season. With a plan that emphasized back maintenance over Cactus League action, Bryant played in just 14 Spring Training games (4-for-31).
¡°K.B., like any player, likes to get hits, especially early in the year, when it¡¯s magnified if you don¡¯t,¡± Black said before Wednesday¡¯s game. ¡°With K.B., I see a little bit of being ahead of the breaking ball and behind the fastball. It¡¯s a tough spot.¡±
The season began in Tampa with the Rays executing a pitching plan seemingly based on Bryant¡¯s lack of timing. Black kept Bryant out of the lineup on Sunday to give him a break.
¡°They were flipping a lot of off-speed,¡± Bryant said in Tampa, detailing a strategy that¡¯s common against him. ¡°They hit their spots. I watched the video. There were some good off-speed pitches in the zone. You can¡¯t really do much taking those or you go down to strike three that way.¡±
But the small steps started Monday in Philadelphia.
After taking strikes two and three against Cristopher S¨¢nchez in his first at-bat and chasing a changeup his second time, Bryant drew walks from Orion Kerkering and, with a full count to end an eight-pitch plate appearance, Jos¨¦ Alvarado.
Was not swinging at those pitches outside the strike zone Monday a sign that Bryant is on an upswing?
¡°Whenever a guy is getting on, it¡¯s a sign,¡± Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how he¡¯s been playing or what the situation is, taking pitches out of the zone is a good sign. When there is improvement, even though it¡¯s a small sample size, it¡¯s an improvement. Now we want to see the hit tool. We want to see him hit the ball where nobody is playing.¡±
It didn¡¯t matter how Bryant¡¯s single sounded during his 1-for-4 performance on Wednesday.
Bryant and the Rockies liked the way it looked.