They're supposed to be a model, a franchise whose "ups" meant they were World Series contenders, and whose "downs" meant they were at least in the hunt for mid-October.

The Braves were never flashy. And they weren't  scary – unless you consider a slew of HOF arms coming at you night after night, a nightmare on Peachtree.

They were built on solid, if not dominant pitching, anchored by the likes of Glavine, Maddox and Smoltz. And clutch hitting. Not since David Justice (maybe Andruw Jones in his prime) has any Braves batter caused a pitcher's knees to quiver, or forced an opposing manager to click the OMG tab on his digital playbook in search of a trick defensive strategy.

Do a Yahoo! search for "manager" and "Braves" and you'll likely get Bobby Cox because he's been the Braves' manager since, like for...ever.

He was the constant. Through generations, lineup changes, trades and tweaks, he sat, Buddah-like, in the Braves' dugout, the model's architect.

But it's been a minute since the ATL Braves were those guys.

Like, it seems, for...ever.

They failed to reach the postseason in the past three seasons, slipping entirely out of the postseason discussion last year when they were 72-90, the franchise's worst record since it went 65-97 in 1990.

The following season, in 1991, the Braves stunningly won 94 games and reached the World Series, losing to Minnesota in a dramatic seven games. After that they reached the postseason 13 straight seasons (save for the 1994 strike year when there were no playoffs) through 2005.

But it's been a minute.

Yet suddenly the Braves are those guys again.

After winning three of four from the Dodgers over the weekend, they're back in the October hunt. At 58-54, they're just 4 1/2 back of NL East leading Philadelphia, with the wobbly Phillies coming to town next weekend for three games. (They're 3 1/2 back in the wild-card standings.)

Since June 28, they're 24-14, baseball's best mark in that span, though as late as last week the Braves still were not on anyone's postseason radar.

Now they are. And they've even done it with the same Braves formula (though without the HOF arms): consistent pitching and timely hitting.

Once again they're not a scary team. Their ace, Javier Vazquez, didn't make the All-Star team, though he's 5-0 in his last six starts, with seven strikeouts in an 8-2 win over the Dodgers on Sunday. (The win made the Braves 5-2 for their West Coast swing, which even surprised them. "We Georgia boys," leftfielder Matt Diaz said afterward, in jest, "we don't like to travel west of the Mississippi.")

Nor did the guys who've keyed the surge - shortstop Yunel Escobar (.306, 110 hits, 59 RBIs) (left) and Martin Prado (.312), and outfielders Diaz (.292) and Nate (rhymes with "mouth") McLouth (15 HRs, 100 hits, 56 RBIs), who arrived in a trade with Pittsburgh in June.

Chipper Jones, perhaps the Brave with the highest Q rating, didn't even play in the three wins over the Dodgers with a strained left oblique. (He's expected back Tuesday when the Braves face the stunningly hot Washington Nationals.)

And , of course, Cox is still there, sitting on the bench in the dugout like a pile of old, comfortable clothes. He's been "fired" numerous times over the last three seasons, ostensibly because the game had seemingly passed him by. Or at least he would have been if the chattering masses had their way.

That they didn't is a testament to the model, to the belief that if it worked then it would work again.

And it is.

 AP photos

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