Entering the third month of a long season,Padres’ centerfielder Mike Cameron is feeling groovy largely due to a standout May performance. By mid-month, Cameron had hit his stride with a seven-game hittingstreak in which he batted .414 (12-for-29) with two doubles, a triple, two homers, six RBIs, and eight runs scored.

But even those stats don’t do his May performance enough justice. During the 27 games in May, Cameron hit safely in 19 while recording 18 runs on 57 total bases and 20 RBIs on 30 hits. The turnaround from April has had a substantial effect on his numbers. The most notable improvement being a jump from a .192 April batting average to a .288 May average.

Despite the slow start, Cameron always knew he’d be able to turn things around. “I’ve been playing for a long time,” said Cameron. “If the season ended in May I’d be in trouble; but the season doesn’t end until October. I just keep going. I know I’ll get a chance to go out there every day and eventually I’ll get it figured out.”

The 2001 all star did just that and more with his 20 RBIs that barely edged out … you guessed it … Kevin Kouzmanoff (18) for the team lead in the month of May. “I’ve been able to get comfortable and get my feet up under me now,” explained Cameron. “And when you do that, you see the ball better. When you see the ball better, you can wait a little longer and square it up a little bit better. Give yourself a chance to get a hit.”

Cameron’s April woes is something all too familiar for most baseball players, especially Cami who has a track record of slow starts. Yet, it’s the ones who can focus and take it day-by-day that actually turn it around.

“Nobody wants to struggle,” admitted Cameron. “But you go through some things that make you stronger. Everyone’s kicking dirt on you all the time but you’ve got to find a way to get through it. Don’t let it bother you at all.

“We’ve had some guys that could carry the load and obviously when you start feeling better you start joining in with them and it’s a good thing.”

It’s tempting when you’re struggling to make changes to your approach especially for players that allow their situation to affect their confidence. However, Cameron kept it together. “I’m not doing nothing different, nothing different. Just playing baseball.

“I’ve been playing too long to lose my confidence. I’m too good for that. Can’t nobody be your number one fan but yourself. So you’ve got to continue to believe that. If you play this game long enough, you’re going to stink for a while. You’re not going to be a good player your whole career. I don’t think nobody was great their whole career.

“Just look at some of the guys in the league now. Pujols stunk for a while too and he’s one of the best hitters of this generation right now.”

While Pujols may be an extreme example, the principal rings true: Slumps happen. Baseball is a game of streaks; you’re either on a great streak or a horrible one. It’s arguably the most bi-polar of all team sports and certainly one that requires an iron heart.

“It’s easy sitting in the stands,” said Cameron. “But when you get in that box, six foot six inches (away from the pitcher), you feel buck naked up there and you got people yelling at you and everything, it’ll make a man out of you real fast. I’ve been there.”

Cameron has also witnessed the “manic” side of the sport, something he experienced this May. It’s the time when you can do no wrong. Everything is going your way and as Cameron describes, “You feel good about yourself, you feel confident. You feel like you’re going to go up there and do some damage to the ball. That’s a good feeling.”

Unfortunately, there is no Prozac, no Zoloft, no Lithium that can take the edge off the peaks and troughs in baseball. The best advice is to follow Cameron’s lead and simply hang on for the ride.