Arenado homers in 4th straight to cap 6-run 4th

DENVER -- The schedule didn't guarantee Nolan Arenado would homer again on Friday night, but just as well.
Arenado's two-run shot with two outs in the fourth inning against Marlins left-hander Wei-Yin Chen made it four straight games that he has gone deep, helping the Rockies roll to an 11-3 win. The homer completed a six-run inning that gave the Rockies a 7-1 lead at Coors Field.
It was the 17th homer for Arenado, who broke a tie with Trevor Story for the team lead.
Also, it's the second time Arenado has homered in as many as four straight contests. His high is a franchise-record six games, Sept. 1-5, 2015.
Before his current tear -- .455 with five home runs, five doubles and 16 RBIs since sitting out the June 14 game at Philadelphia -- Arenado was mired in a slump that reached a career-worst 0-for-19.
But hitting coach Duane Espy and assistant hitting coach Jeff Salazar noted that Arenado was "jumping" at the ball instead of staying smooth and on time. The results indicate Arenado has made the proper correction.
"I'm really slowing my body down," Arenado said. "That's what I'm really focusing on, so I can get my swing off. It's really working out lately."

Interestingly, Arenado's 420-foot drive into the left-field seats Friday night was the capper of a six-run inning that consisted mostly of small-ball.
With one out, Carlos González beat a shift by tapping a grounder inside the third-base line. Ian Desmond, who was on board with his second single of the game, dashed from first to third to attract a throw. Gonzalez saw Desmond and raced to second for a double. Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro dropped a throw from third baseman Miguel Rojas, and Desmond alertly scored.
With runners at first and third, Rockies pitcher Jon Gray dropped a solid safety squeeze bunt, and Gonzalez beat first baseman Justin Bour's throw home.
Noel Cuevas, who had singled, moved to second on Gray's bunt and took third on Chen's wild pitch, then scored on DJ LeMahieu's sacrifice fly.
Then Charlie Blackmon fouled off five pitches of a nine-pitch at-bat, and delivered a single to left-center that scored Gray from second.
Then Arenado injected some power into the inning.