5 sluggers who bounced back big time in May

Not every car warms up at the same rate.

Just like your car heater in the dead of winter, some big baseball names had to subject themselves to awfully cold stretches in April before finding their bats again and emphatically cruising through the month of May.

Here are five players who erased an awful April with a red-hot second month of the season:

Carlos Correa, Astros

Though the Astros got off to an unmatched start to the 2017 season, quickly assuming and effectively locking up first place in the AL West, they were doing it without the bat of their superstar shortstop. If the rest of the division couldn't catch Houston before, they definitely won't now, though, considering Correa has found his stroke again, as his 34 RBIs are now tied with Marwin Gonzalez for the best mark on the team.

Justin Bour, Marlins

Justin Bour may not have been expected to carry the offense on a team that also employs Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna, but that's exactly what he's done this past month. The Marlins first baseman erased a frigid first month by simply out-hitting the rest of his teammates in May, and his two home runs Wednesday capped off his month when they tied him with Bryce Harper for second on the NL leaderboard behind the Cincinnati Reds' Scott Schebler.

Brett Gardner, Yankees

The new-look Yankees are unexpectedly topping the AL East this season thanks in part to their young "Baby Bombers" in Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, though their longest tenured veteran is also playing a significant part. Brett Gardner's power (or lack thereof) may never make headlines, but if he keeps hitting the way he has after striking out in 22 of 73 at-bats in April, the Yankees won't care.

Mark Trumbo, Orioles

Mark Trumbo lit up opposing pitchers last season when he led the big leagues with 47 home runs, though Orioles fans who expected more of the same in 2017 were left sorely disappointed in April when it looked like pitchers had figured out how to finally solve the slugger. One month later, however, and Trumbo looks to have switched up the formula as the 31-year-old's 31 hits and 13 RBIs both lead the Orioles in May.

Jose Bautista, Blue Jays

It isn't a coincidence the Blue Jays and Jose Bautista are getting hot again at the same time. For the first 25 games of the season, it appeared age had finally caught up to the 36-year-old outfielder, who had to settle for a one-year, $18-million contract with Toronto after an unexpectedly quiet market. That re-signing quickly went from "mistake" to "bargain" in a month's time, however, as Bautista began to terrorize pitchers again once the calendar rolled over to May. Despite numerous injuries to the rest of their star-studded lineup, the Blue Jays went on to finish the month 17-10 on the back of Bautista's hot bat.