What will it take?

This may sound crazy, but I think they are on the right path and pretty close. They are 8 games out right now, but about 2 weeks ago they were within 5. The phillies are good. I don't think we will beat them out this year, but next year we will have a shot. The Braves have been building up very good starting pitching. Hanson just came up this year and he is a very dominate force. Vazquez has very electric stuff, and has had some very good outings this year. Lowe is just a solid sinkerball pitcher and the ace of the staff. Jurrjens had a great year last year and is pitching good again this year. Kawakami has been a disappointment (at least to me). I really thought he would fare better. He has a 2.69 ERA which isn't reflected in his 9-7 record. I want to say that I heard on a telecast a few weeks ago that the braves were 2nd in ERA in the NL behind the Giants. The bullpen has been very shaky lately. Gonzo and Soriano have done better this year than I expected, but most of the bullpen is shaky at best. We need one or two young guys to step up (or pick someone up on a trade). Offense has been a struggle. I hate to see Jeff struggle and get traded, but the good news is the #1 rated prospect by baseball america plays right field for the Mississippi Braves. I live in the Jackson area so I have seen him play a few times personally, and he is the real deal. We lack a good power bat in the lineup, but there are several solid spots. With all of that being said, I think our rotation is coming around nicely. Lowe is the only one that is getting old, and I think he was a short term pickup. There is another good prospect who saw a few innings that is in Triple-A which may get brought up in his place eventually. With that solid rotation, the Braves aren't far off from being contenders again.