Will Atlanta rise again?

Braves rookie righthander Tommy Hanson wasn't sharp Saturday afternoon, but it didn't matter. Yunel Escobar and Brian McCann combined for 5 rbi and the Braves beat the Nats 11-5 in D.C. to move within three games of the wildcard-leading Colorado Rockies. With just eight games left, the Braves will have to stay white-hot to tie the Rox but there's a valid reason why they might just do that.
The Braves boast one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball, led by the aforementioned Hanson and veteran Javier Vazquez. Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens and Tim Hudson round out the starting five and give the Bravos a slew of arms that induce groundballs, miss bats and - perhaps most importantly - pitch deep into games.
Atlanta sits at 84-70 and has won 9 of their last 11 games. Uncharacteristically, they're also scoring runs of late thanks in large part to McCann.
The remaining schedule is kind to Atlanta, with five games versus Washington, three against Florida and their last six contests in Turner Field. Meanwhile, Colorado plays St. Louis and Milwaukee in Colorado before finishing up with three in Chavez Ravine against the Dodgers.
Despite the hot streak, Atlanta will wake up Sunday morning no better than two and half games out. With a handful of games left to play, that is a significant gap. In a September devoid of drama, baseball fans have to be praying for a tie so we're treated to a one-game playoff between the two on Oct. 4.
It's ironic to consider that the Braves are following a similar path to the postseason that the Rockies did just two years ago when they won 20 of 21 en route to the National League pennant. With the arsenal of pitching the Braves have on board, it's not hard to envision them heading to the Fall Classic either.
Still, if you play the odds, the Rox remain the favorites. If all they do is play .500 baseball starting tonight, the Braves will still have to go 7-2 to force the playoff game.