Rolling

This is the Chuck James that the Atlanta Braves expected to see this season.

The Braves young star opened the year wildly inconsistent and rarely pitching into the 7th or beyond. Now, in his four most recent starts, James has been the Braves best pitcher and with Smoltz coming back from an injury and dominating this past week and Tim Hudson continuing to be a steadying hand, the Braves are now loaded with a very dangerous starting trio.

Back on June 24th, Chuck James had a mediocre 4.29 ERA. Since that time, he has pitched 24.2 innings over four starts and allowed only 3 runs in those four starts. James has given up only 16 hits as well, making him one of the most dominant pitchers in the past month. His ERA has dropped from 4.29 to a nice 3.58 and it shows no signs of slowing.

Coming into the season, there were some big expectations placed on James as he was thought to be the staff ace of the future. Early on, his consistency and control issues plagued him and limited his effectiveness. Now, he is giving the Braves everything they hoped for and more.

With the Braves in the middle of a division race, they need James to keep throwing the way he is and the young lineup to keep hitting the way they are. Add in Smoltz and Hudson and a solid bullpen staff, well, the Braves look to have all the pieces in place to make a real run at the Mets and their NL East lead.