More of Maddon

Bryant appreciative of greater input from manager

PHOENIX — Kris Bryant sighed late Friday night when a perky reporter observed that the exit velocity on his balls hit in play had increased.

“Yeah, exit velos,” Bryant replied sarcastically. “I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball harder.

“In the last one to 1 1⁄2 weeks, I think everything has been there. My swing thoughts were there. Yeah, exit velo going up — sweet.”

Bryant has tried to defuse the scrutiny, but the fact that his home run against the Diamondbacks on Friday night was his first homer since the March 28 season opener — a span of 95 plate appearances — had put him under the microscope again.

His home run had some significance — he hit it off Robbie Ray to snap an 0-for-13 slump against the left-hander — and it traveled at 111 mph.

“(Exit-velocity readings) are on the scoreboard now,” Bryant lamented. “It’s in in every stadium, so you can’t get away from it.

“I just laugh at it. But if that’s the way we’re using it, they’re going up, which means I’m hitting it harder.

“The harder you hit it, they probably won’t catch it as much. That’s a good thing. Got to love it.”

Bryant’s blastin an 8-3 loss to the Diamondbacks snapped a streak of 21 games without hitting a home run, his longest stretch since going 24 straight without one from May 15 to June 14, 2018. But a large chunk of that careerhigh drought occurred while Bryant dealt with a bone bruise in his left shoulder.

If Bryant needs any constant messages, he welcomes them from a usually quiet source: manager Joe Maddon.

“I made a point to tell him I want him to do that,” Bryant said. “It’s nice to have the leader talking to you and letting you know what he sees, and he’s got your back 100 percent.”

Maddon said he’s merely making a more concerted effort to communicate more frequently with his players, especially Bryant.

“I’m talking texts, talking emails, talking constantly,” Maddon said. “I’m like a pain in the butt right now.”

In the past, Maddon said he preferred to stay out of the way of his hitting and pitching coaches, but “this year I’m interfering a little more than I usually do conversationally.”

And it’s not just with the millennials.

“Everybody,” Maddon said. “I’m having a good time.”

And so is Bryant, at least from the standpoint of hearing from his manager.

“It’s just good,” Bryant said. “Joe is kind of a hands-off manager. He let’s you do your thing and just makes sure you’re ready to play.

“It’s nice to hear what he sees or the reassurance from him, like, ‘Hey your swing is right there. Your takes are great. You’re doing great in the field and your baserunning.’

“It’s not like you’re searching for compliments, but it’s nice when your manager lets you know that. He’s watching you.”

Bryant has taken Maddon’s messages of support to heart “because when I was first coming up in the minors it was, ‘Look at all these home runs. He’s done this.’ ”

“I don’t want to be known for just doing that,” Bryant said. “I want to be known for being able to do stuff on the field to help the team win. I haven’t been playing the way I want to, but I’ve felt I’ve done stuff that ultimately helped the team win. That’s what I’m here for.“

Bryant was one of several Cubs players who watched the ballyhooed debut of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hit a double in the ninth inning to lead the Blue Jays to a victory in his first major-league game.

“I had a moment where (I was thinking), ‘Was this going on when I was in my first at-bat?’ ” said Bryant, who went hitless in his debut in 2015. “But that kid is going to be a good player.”

But observers and analysts are wondering when Bryant — hitting .235 with 10 RBIs entering Saturday night’s game against the Diamondbacks — will embark on one of his patented power surges and distance himself from the fact he has only two home runs following his injury-plagued 2018 season.

“Nothing surprises me nowadays,” Bryant said. “I learned that in the first 20 days. You’ve got to go with it and smile.

“I can control my attitude, my effort and the work I put in. At the end of the day when I do that, I’m satisfied because I did everything I can to put myself in a position to succeed.

“I might not succeed, but I’m trying, and that’s all you can ask for.”