It's not like this is now-or-never for the Atlanta Braves. But as the season nears the halfway point, this coming week should shed a little more light on exactly what they are.
The Braves finally showed a semblance of consistency recently, winning three straight series for just the second time all season, even sweeping their National League East rival New York Mets. Yet in following that prosperity by dropping a pair of games at the last-place Miami Marlins, the Braves remain unpredictable - and, at 35-40, firmly below .500.
They are mired at 23rd in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings, a position hardly befitting a club bidding for its eighth consecutive playoff berth.