After another ESPN-induced breather, Lance Berkman (useless tidbit: his nickname is “The Big Puma”) comes up to the plate and puts on a show.

Berkman’s a switch-hitter, and he had hinted that he might bat from the right side in the Derby. This was a controversial idea, right up there with Madonna’s “Justify My Love” video (OK, maybe not).

Apparently, Berkman wised up and decided to go lefty. He took his time getting into the swing of things, but he really came alive one homer and six outs into his round. He hit three straight with six outs — a squeaker to right-center, a liner to right and an upper deck shot to right. Two outs later, he struck again with a liner to right. But he really got going with nine outs — back-to-back upper deck blasts and a deep fly into the black batter’s eye beyond the center-field wall.

We have a new leader.

Berkman — 8
Uggla — 6
Sizemore — 6
Utley — 5
Longoria — 3

Next up: Morneau.