Houston’s Lance Berkman is in the midst of a remarkable 11-game hitting streak that dates to April 30. Arguably he's been May’s most productive hitter, as he is batting .605 (26-for-43) with seven doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs during his streak.

On May 4, when the streak was in its infancy, the Astros first baseman went 4-for-5 with four RBIs in an 8-6, 12-inning win over Milwaukee. After an off day, Berkman followed up with a five-hit performance and scored four times in a 6-5 victory over Washington. He has recorded multiple hits in all but one of his last nine games.

Beginning with his four-hit night, Berkman has been retired only nine times in his last 37 plate appearances. He is on a 22-for-31 tear, good for a .710 average, and his OPS in this stretch is a mere 2.080.

The Astros are in San Francisco this week, and the Giants’ two young studs, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, will have to face the game’s hottest hitter. The streak will be on the line, as will be Houston’s recent run of success.

Houston was 13-16 in April, but the team has a major league-best 9-1 record in May. The pitching has been solid during the Astros’ run, but the offense has powered the surge. The Astros are scoring 6.1 runs per game this month, the highest average in the National League. They also lead the league in May batting (.306), and rank near the top with Florida and Atlanta in on-base percentage (.376), slugging (.469) and total bases (167).

Berkman, who leads the majors in total bases with 112, has 47 of Houston’s 167 in May. Those 47 total bases are nearly half the total generated by the struggling Cleveland Indians (98) this month.