I have to admit is was fun watching Albert Pujols struggle after he left St. Louis for the big money of LA, but now the slugger seems to be back on track.

The combination of elevated expectations, new surroundings, unfamiliar pitchers and stadiums, a family left behind 1,800 miles away – whatever else you can come up with – that led to the worst month of Albert Pujols’ baseball life has been dealt with, dismissed or dispersed.

Since May 6, Pujols has looked like himself again. After going 2 for 5 with a double and two runs scored in Sunday’s 10-8 win over the Rockies, he is batting .308 (40 for 130) with nine home runs and 31 RBIs since May 6.

“It was a slow start. But I said it earlier – it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Pujols said, resorting to a mantra he did indeed say repeatedly to reporters during that rough stretch. “You have to go through tough times. If everything is beautiful and flowery — I mean, you feel like you don’t have to do anything.

The MLB season is a marathon, so it’s easy to come up with snap judgments after the first month of a season. It’s probably safe to say that the real Pujols is finally stepping up.