Dan Uggla: Is Atlanta Braves' Slugger Suddenly the Key to a World Series Run?

The Atlanta Braves are currently in the middle of a three-game losing streak and have lost six of their last 10.

This has seen the Philadelphia Phillies' lead in the NL East grow to eight games, and the Braves' lead in the Wild Card over the Arizona Diamondbacks shrink to two games.

The Braves are now in a position where they have to fight over the last two months of the season to even make the playoffs and maybe, just maybe, make a run at the World Series.

That, however, must involve several factors clicking in order to happen.

Chipper Jones and Brian McCann

Chipper Jones hasn't been himself since he learned he had a torn meniscus on May 15. He finally got it surgically repaired on July 9 and returned very quickly on July 25.

In his return, Jones managed to hit a home run, but strained his right quadriceps. He's only been available for pinch-hit duty since then.

Then, a week ago, Brian McCann injured his oblique while throwing to second in the infamous 19-inning marathon with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was placed on the disabled list as soon as the game was over.

Oblique injuries are no joke, but they suspect this one is the least serious and expect him back between Aug. 11-17. Still, that's two-plus weeks of a .306 average and 18 jacks forced to sit out.

These guys have been hitting some combination of 3-4 all year long, and even though Chipper isn't batting title Chipper anymore, he is still a very capable hitter who just gets on base, evidenced by his .338 on-base percentage with just a .258 average.

Atlanta must get their leadership back in order to contend.

Starting Pitching

Take away Derek Lowe, and you have one of the best rotations in baseball; it's just on a little skid.

Add Lowe back in the mix, and you now have a starting pitcher who has lost almost twice as much as he's won this year.

Lowe, who has gone 6-10 while making $15 million, is 3-6 in his last 10 starts with an ERA of 6.54. Atlanta needs him to find the form he had last September, when gave up four runs over five starts, winning all five.

Jair Jurrjens has been in a similar streak, though just since the All-Star break. Though Atlanta has gone 3-1 in his last four starts, he stands at 0-1 with a 6.26 ERA. It speaks volumes of his early season form that his ERA for the season is still 2.63.

Still, Lowe and Jurrjens have to find a way to step it up. As 40 percent of the rotation, their production is vital.

Production from the Young Guys

The Braves have had no shortage of young talent this year.

Freddie Freeman has been a monster lately. On his current 16-game hitting streak, he's hit .415. He's also hit .296 this season, tops among rookies in the bigs. Let's not forget his glove at first either, which has saved both hits and errors all season long.

And what would the Atlanta bullpen look like without Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel?

Not as intimidating.

The duo has combined for a 1.62 ERA this year and is already arguably the best setup/closing tandem in the bigs.

Venters hasn't allowed a run since July 4, and Kimbrel has done the same since June 11. Kimbrel hasn't picked up a save since July 22, mainly because the Braves haven't provided the opportunity; he still only trails Brian Wilson for the major league lead in saves.

Jason Heyward is the biggest question among the young guys. After hitting .277 last year, a sophomore slump and a shoulder injury earlier in the year have landed him at .224. His production the last two months coming from the sixth or seventh spot in the order may be vital.

Michael Bourn

The Braves' trade deadline acquisition added a new dimension that had been sorely lacking in the Atlanta lineup—speed.

Michael Bourn currently leads the majors with 39 stolen bases and will certainly help cause disruptions on the basepaths, leading to better pitches to hit for the heart of the order, which should lead to greater run production.

Bourn is the lead-off hitter Atlanta has lacked since Rafael Furcal left six years ago, and he is in the middle of the best season of his career in hitting .304.

Now, the Braves just hope he can keep getting on base and stealing bases.

Dan Uggla

Can Dan Uggla keep up this surge?

Uggla is currently riding a 24-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors, that has seen his average climb from .173 to .212. This has left no doubt that his horrific first half is a distant memory, as he has hit 10 of his 22 home runs during the streak.

The only question remaining for Uggla, who has even improved his glove work this season, is whether he can keep up this level production. Logic states that as a career .257 hitter, he has to level off sometime.

That doesn't mean it has to be sometime soon.

Fredi Gonzalez

The Braves, due to injuries, slumps, etc., have only used their Opening Day roster 12 times this year, but they're still in the lead for the Wild Card. They can thank Fredi Gonzalez.

He may not get under an umpire's skin like the legendary Bobby Cox he replaced, but Gonzalez has shown the ability to manage in a pinch with some inexperienced players filling in for injured starters.

And after abusing Jonny Venters' arm for the first half of the season, Gonzalez promised to back off using him, and he has. The bullpen has largely been solid when Venters has been unavailable.

He even tried hitting the pitcher eighth for the first time since the Braves were in Milwaukee in order to give speedster Jose Constanza essentially a second lead-off spot ahead of Michael Bourn. It's this kind of creativity that lets players see that he's trying to get the best out of them. It often results in a strong late season push.

And right now, that's exactly what the Braves need.