Houston's hitting machine

Lance Berkman is loving the month of May.

The Houston Astros first baseman has hit safely in every game since the calendar turned; in fact, he's on a 17-game hitting streak that started April 30.

But this isn't your typical late-blooper-to-keep-it-alive streak. In 12 of the 17 games, Berkman has had two of more hits, highlighted by a cumulative 20-for-27 cumulative binge from May 3-10.

Since the start of May, Berkman has upped his average by 104 points, up to .399. He's hit seven home runs this month, upping his league-leading total to 16, and also tops the NL with 44 runs batted in, 19 of them so far in May.

And he's struck out only 20 times in 163 at bats this year.

Berkman is no overnight sensation. This is his 10th season, and he's put together a stellar career in relatively quiet fashion, overshadowed at first by teammates Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, and more recently by the Astros' fade into the second division. He has has five seasons of topping both 30 home runs and 100 RBI, and he hit over .300 in three of those years. His latest power surge brings his lifetime homer total to 275.

Although he might cool off any day, Berkman looks like a shoo-in for National League Player of the Month.