Padres' Christian Villanueva: Continues power surge

Villanueva went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 10-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Villanueva has now homered in three straight contests after falling into a funk following his impressive three-homer game April 3. The 27-year-old is slashing an impressive .333/.423/.822 in 52 plate appearances and has surpassed Chase Headley as the Padres' starting third baseman. The slugger is striking out in nearly a third of his plate appearances (32.7 strikeout percentage) and his batting average is being buoyed by an unsustainable .409 BABIP. Even if his average dips, Villanueva provides enough thump to continue rewarding owners who gambled on his eye-opening performances to begin the campaign.