What a ride it’s been for the Braves through the first 2.5 months of the season. They could not have played any worse for the first month (8-14) and couldn’t have played any better than the last month and a half (44-22, a major league best). There is a tendency to think maybe the real Braves are somewhere in between that, but I don’t think so. 52-36 is who you are -- 89 games are more than enough to tell me that.

With that being said, if the Braves really want to make a serious run at this thing (and I don’t mean just a NL East title), then I think they still need to find another run-producer for this lineup. I don’t think you can send Bobby out a winner with Chipper and Glaus being your No. 3 and No. 5 hitters. Glaus was out of his mind in May and kick-started this offensive eruption along with Martin Prado, but I don’t think I can trust him for three more months of that. Chipper is unfortunately just a guy now, he’s swinging the bat better but he’s a No. 2 or No. 6 hitter right now ... he isn’t a No. 3 hitter on a World Series contender.

You say wait a minute, Jason Heyward is coming back; he can maybe be that big run-producing 3-hole guy. But you are asking way too much of a 20-year-old kid. I love him in the No. 2 spot or the No. 6 spot. He is going to have a good second half now that he’s healthy again, but I don’t want him to have to carry this team.

I know you have a 4.5-game lead over the Phillies and I know they have struggled to score runs thus far, but they have been ravaged by injuries and they will be back, as much as it pains me to say it. When they get Utley and Polanco healthy, they will make a run and it’s going to be tough to keep them at bay. That’s why I think if you’re really serious about doing something special this summer and fall, you need to go for it, not like when you went and got Teixeira go for it, but a substantial move that makes everyone take notice.

Brewers All-Star Corey Hart’s name will come up -- he’s having a career year and would look great in the middle of the order, but I’m not parting with Medlen to get him ... I think you could get him cheaper. Josh Willingham of the Nats and Cody Ross of the Marlins are two others that will be mentioned as well. I want to believe in Nate McClouth, but he is trying my patience. Matt Diaz will hit in the second half, nobody doubts that, but Melky is a fourth outfielder at best. An outfield rotation of Heyward, Diaz, Hart and Melky would work for me as long as you don’t break the bank for Hart.

Should be a fun second half, if it’s anything like the first.