Tyler Kinley missed his throwing partner and the Colorado Rockies missed tbeir bullpen beacon.

Daniel Bard and Kinley have formed a close friendship, but it’s been from a distance this year. Meniscus surgery before spring training and more recently right flexor tendon surgery sent Bard to Arizona for rehab before it sent him home to North Carolina.

On Friday, he was back in the home Kinley shared with him. The Rockies’ clubhouse needed Bard and his teammates to speak to it most. A guy with his career path is an inspiration to many after he took multiple years away due to control issues and anxiety.

They’ll need his aid after another blown lead in Saturday’s 8-4 loss to the Phillies. Jalen Beeks, Justin Lawrence and John Curtiss combined to allow six earned runs in the ninth inning.

He’s the Rockies “wall.”

“He’ll tell us, ‘You don’t have to go down that (negative) path. I went down it and I’m here to protect you,’” Lawrence said. “We’ve all gone through growing pains. I think having somebody like him, with the experience he has, allows guys to slow down. It’s something not a lot of young guys have the opportunity to have around.”

Bard was away from the Rockies, but only in miles. He sat, watched their games, and texted the pitcher’s group chat with notes. On the good nights, a simple “Huge win boys” was enough to put a smile on their collective faces.

Relief pitching is a monster Bard has battled since his 2009 debut.

When a pitcher is deep into the season, their focus can narrow. A holistic approach is often hard to find when you get hyper-focused on a certain aspect of a windup, release, or mentality.

Bard can from the outside. The injuries took him away from the Rockies’ bullpen but he’s turned it into a chance to be an advisor. It’s not the first time — the longtime reliever was a mental skills coach for the Diamondbacks organization after his early retirement in 2017.

“Having him around, I think it’s a huge benefit to everybody,” Kinley said. “We’re all in the fight together.”

The bullpen has been on a rough run recently.

Colorado’s relief corps are 29th in the majors in earned run average this year (4.98). The figure ballooned to 10.17 across the club’s last road trip, and cost them multiple games against Oakland in what could’ve been a three-game sweep. Instead, it was the Rockies’ second losing series against the Athletics in as many seasons.

Starters have been the biggest victims. They carry a 1.93 ERA in their last five outings, but haven’t earned a win in that span despite exiting with leads each time.

The unit held strong against Philadelphia in Friday’s 11-inning win, including bounce backs from Nick Mears and Kinley. Saturday, it was Lawrence who allowed the go-ahead run after Jalen Beeks issued a leadoff walk in the ninth.

The results will be a mixed bag like in any bullpen, especially with young arms.

Bard is back and ready to help the Rockies find more highs. His texts meant a lot, but his presence is invaluable.

Jordan Beck exits early with broken hand after a highlight catch

Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck’s night went from great to bad within one play.

He made a diving catch to steal a hit from Nick Castellanos in the first inning of Saturday’s win. The play ended the frame but sent Beck tumbling over his left wrist. It was trapped underneath him, and he came up grimacing in pain and shaking it. After the game, Rockies manager Bud Black said Beck was evaluated and diagnosed with a broken hand.

Sean Bouchard was lifted from Triple-A Albuquerque’s game in the fifth inning and could serve as a replacement. He was sent back to the Isotopes when the club brought Kris Bryant off the injured list on May 21.

Colorado’s No. 4 prospect debuted on April 30. He replaced Nolan Jones who hit the injured list with a lower back strain. In 23 games since, he’s hit .190 but showed recent glimpses of growth before the injury. He’s driven in eight runs in his last nine games and swatted home runs in back-to-back games on May 15 and 17.

Phillies 8, Rockies 4

What Happened: Colorado nearly avenged its earlier sweep against Philadelphia before the bullpen imploded and allowed six runs in the ninth inning to blow a one-run lead.

On the mound: Hudson logged his second quality start in 10 tries since coming to Colorado. He went six innings and allowed two earned runs and five hits. Victor Vodnik garnered two outs before Jalen Beeks replaced him and kept the Phillies quiet with 1⅓ scoreless frames before he allowed an earned run in the ninth. Justin Lawrence let in three more before John Curtiss allowed Bryce Harper’s three-run homer to end Colorado’s chances as part of six earned runs allowed by the bullpen in the final frame.

At the plate: Brenton Doyle had a career-high three stolen bases to go with his two hits. Ezequiel Tovar and Jacob Stallings had a pair of hits too. Charlie Blackmon broke a tie with Larry Walker for second place in franchise history with his 600th extra-base hit in the ninth. Colorado had nine hits and went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

What’s next: Philadelphia Phillies (LHP Ranger Suárez, 9-0) at Colorado Rockies (RHP Cal Quantrill, 3-3) at 1:10 p.m. on Sunday at Coors Field (Rockies.TV).