Arenado working to keep swinging power bat

DENVER -- Nolan Arenado's recent power surge continued in the Rockies' 11-4 loss to the Dodgers on Monday night, and this particular entry wasn't a cheapie.

In the fourth inning, Arenado launched a 95-mph fastball from Clayton Kershaw into the center-field seats for an emphatic two-run homer. The blast was projected by Statcast™ to land 431 feet from home plate and signaled Arenado's sixth homer in his last eight games.

"He's staying behind the ball better than he did the last couple of years," manager Walt Weiss said. "We'd see him out on his front side a lot, and that's something that he and [hitting coach] Blake [Doyle] have really worked on and talk about consistently."

That extra attention is paying off substantially for Arenado, who's now gone deep in three straight contests. With more than 100 games remaining, he's just five homers shy from matching his season high of 18.

Among many things, Weiss said he's most impressed with Arenado's ability to take hitting advice and then quickly execute it on the field -- a primary reason for his recent upswing in long balls.

"He's gone out there, and he's kept his legs underneath him, stayed behind the ball," Weiss said. "He's really driving the ball."