CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon weighed in on the emerging National League MVP race about the only way he knew how. Asked if the winner should be first baseman Anthony Rizzo or third baseman Kris Bryant -- the latter of whom went 5-for-5 on Thursday in the Cubs' 9-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers -- Maddon basically said yes.

"They share one name," Maddon said. "Bryzzo. Maybe Bryzzo can be named MVP. Who knows?"

There has been one tie in NL MVP voting, in 1979, when Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez split the vote. Daniel Murphy of the Washington Nationals might still have something to say about this season's award -- in fact, he could be the beneficiary if Bryzzo cancel each other out -- but this might be the year for another tie. That is, if Bryant doesn't just run away with it. He hit his 29th and 30th home runs Thursday and scored his 96th run. The homers tied Nolan Arenado for the NL lead, and the runs temporarily tied two others for tops in baseball. Then again, Rizzo retook the NL lead in doubles, over Murphy, as he and Bryant continue to jockey back and forth.

"He's won an award the last 15 years of his life so I think it would just come natural," Rizzo joked of Bryant when asked who would gloat more. "If it was me, I'd probably have it at my locker, sleeping with it."

Said Bryant: "It feels great. It's just honestly a byproduct of us pushing each other and expecting more out of one another. I like to joke around, but if he's ever down or says something I don't want to hear, I let him know, 'No, don't think that way.' That kind of relationship has gotten us to the type of seasons we've had so far."

Rizzo has a slash line of .291/.395/.566/.960, and Bryant's is .296/.392/.564/.956. That's about as close as it can get. The duo is reminding many of the Barry Bonds/Jeff Kent pairing with the San Francisco Giants in the late 1990s, but Bryant has a more contemporary comparison. When Miguel Cabrera was on his way to a Triple Crown for the Detroit Tigers in 2012, it was Prince Fielder who protected Cabrera, hitting directly behind in the lineup. Rizzo is doing the same, batting third to Bryant's second.

"He always tells me, 'I'm your Prince [Fielder],' " Bryant said with a laugh. "I can't say enough about having him behind me, just as a mentor and someone I've learned a lot from and just the way he goes about his at-bats. Even though he's a lefty and I'm a righty, it seems to me, and to him, they pitch us very similarly."

Rizzo finished 10th and then fourth in MVP voting the past two seasons, and he might want to win his now, because Bryant looks as though he'll be a monster for years to come at the plate. After Bryant's second five-hit day of the season, Maddon discussed the ways the 24-year-old can get better. Yes, despite a .296 batting average and a 30-home run season, Bryant is just scratching the surface.

"Driving in more runs, having better at-bats with runners in scoring position," Maddon said. "That's probably the next level."

There have been moments where Bryant hasn't put the ball in play against certain pitchers -- think Jeurys Familia of the New York Mets -- but there isn’t a pitcher on the planet who wants to see him at the plate. He's a sponge when it comes to learning the opposition. Familia might have gotten him this season, but there's a good chance the tide will turn next time.

"KB is the GOAT, the greatest of all time," shortstop Addison Russell said. "Me and Rizz said that today in our little group huddle. Absolutely phenomenal. ... How he attacks the mental part of the game, I just love it."

Maddon smartly wouldn't take the bait. He knows choosing between the two sluggers is like choosing the favorite between two of his kids. If he picked one -- at least before the season ended -- he'd be regretting it for a long time.

"I wouldn't," Maddon said. "Honestly I wouldn't. That's the kind of thing that could create a rift within the group, and I would really want to avoid that."

Maddon did indicate he might "give it up" after the season was over, and was adamant about one thing: There would be no rift between the Cubs players.

"I want to believe they would root for one another in that particular moment," Maddon said. "They're really good friends."

Rizzo laughed off the Fielder comment, trying to downplay the potential for a two-man MVP race while noting there was still a "long way to go" in the season. But there's not that much time left. Rizzo might need to hit a few home runs just to remind voters the Cubs aren't all about Bryant -- though the first baseman has one distinct edge: He has 62 walks to 81 strikeouts, and Bryant has 57 walks to 121 strikeouts. But two five-hit games in the same season stands out and will get the second-year player a lot of votes when they're cast in early October. Those hits are just fine with Rizzo. They'll give him a few more base runners to knock in.

"It's fun," Rizzo said. "It's good for both of us. It makes us better."