St. Louis Cardinals' Lance Berkman on Fire, Hits Grand Slam

Lance Berkman is looking like the Lance Berkman of old.

With Albert Pujols struggling to get a .200 batting average and Matt Holliday coming off an appendectomy, Berkman has suddenly caught fire.

In his last three games, including tonight, Berkman is hitting .462 with four home runs and 10 runs batted in.

Prior to the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Berkman had a four straight games without a run batted in. Berkman's batting average had dropped over 100 points, from .312 on April 5 to .214 by April the 9, having gone just two-for-16 during the four-game slide.

On Wednesday night against the Diamondbacks, Berkman brought in Albert Pujols on a ground out to second base, giving the Cardinals an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

In the second inning, with a full count, bases loaded and two outs, Berkman took an Ian Kennedy pitch opposite field for a grand slam, extending the Cardinals' lead to 8-0.

With the Cardinals routing the D-Backs, Berkman took a seat on the bench, his stat line: one-for-three with a home run and five runs batted in.

Wednesday night also marked the first time Berkman has had a five-RBI game since June 10, 2008, a game in which he did not hit a grand slam.

It is still early in the season, yet in the offensive heavy lineup of the St. Louis Cardinals, Berkman's early revival may be a bad sign for the National League Central.