SAN DEIGO -- Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has spent more time than he'd like pondering the right answers. But his recent work -- including a two-run homer in Saturday's 10-1 victory over the Padres -- is an indication that his best swing comes not from the brain, but from the soul.
"It feels like I can just trust myself," said Arenado, whose homer came off former teammate Jhoulys Chacin. "Wherever I see the ball, I can just go to it. The times when you feel bad, you feel like you have to guess.
"Right now, I feel like I can just trust myself, load and just react."
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Thursday at Seattle, Arenado tipped a Yovani Gallardo pitch into the catcher's mitt to complete a first-inning strikeout and flung his bat in frustration.
But the next at-bat, he homered into the left-field seats. In two games in San Diego, he is 5-for-8, including two doubles Friday and three RBIs Saturday thanks to the homer and a sacrifice fly. Just once, a three-pitch strikeout against Chacin in the third, has Arenado not been locked in.
Arenado has tied for the National League lead in home runs and finished tops in RBIs the past two seasons. Saturday's homer tied him with Mark Reynolds for the team lead with 14, and he has 39 RBIs -- which is good though it's third on his team behind Charlie Blackmon (47) and Mark Reynolds (46).
If Arenado's current feeling lasts, Blackmon and Reynolds have a little friendly competition, and the Rockies will have big run production.