Kris Bryant likely headed back to injured list as Rockies bullpen collapses

DENVER — For Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies, Wednesday was all sorts of bad.

The Rockies bullpen barfed back leads of 4-0 and 7-4 in a 12-7 collapse, surrendering 8 runs in the final two innings. The defeat doomed the Rockies to their first Coors Field sweep of the season. It came against a Reds side that had been struggling for over a month before landing in the Mile High City, as Cincinnati was 10-20 in its previous 30 games before the Rockies provided a get-well tonic.

Meanwhile, Bryant — who hasn’t played since Sunday — appears headed to the injured list with a recurrence of the back issues that have plagued him all season, limiting him to just 24 of 61 games so far this season.

“Kris didn’t really respond to treatment today, so it looks like it’s gonna be more than a few more days,” manager Bud Black said. It’s looking like we’re gonna have to put him on the injured list.”

Black expressed optimism that this forthcoming stay on the injured list would remedy Bryant’s issues. He has missed 239 of a possible 385 games since joining the Rockies on a 7-year, $182-million contract.

“Hopefully this will resolve itself, relatively quick,” Black said. “And hopefully get some momentum performance-wise to where we see the real Kris Bryant.”

The Rockies also could lose outfielder Sean Bouchard for some time due to an ankle injury, which happened as he ran out a bunt to first base in the eighth inning.

“He turned his ankle but I haven’t checked. It didn’t look good,” Black said after the game.

BEYOND KRIS BRYANT … THE ROCKIES BULLPEN COLLAPSED

One out and two strikes away from avoiding a sweep, the Rockies bullpen frittered it away.

All of Cincinnati’s ninth-inning carnage came with two outs, which proved to be an apt coda to the series. Twenty-one of the Reds’ 29 runs in the sweep came with two outs.

Colorado was just one out and two strikes away from salvaging what would have been a 7-6 win from the three-game homestand before closer Jalen Beeks served up a high fastball that Spencer Steer walloped 439 feet into the left-field stands. With TJ Friedl on base thanks to being hit by a pitch to open the inning, the Reds took the lead.

“[Beeks] tried to throw a fastball in and just left it over the plate,” Black said.

Black kept Beeks in the game, and he allowed two singles and a walk before giving way to recent call-up Angel Chivilli, who yielded his second home run in as many appearances this week, a grand slam for the final margin.