The Chunichi Dragons got off to a slow start but they're sprinting toward the finish line.
In the last month, the Dragons have snapped Tony Blanco out of an offensive funk, kept Kazuhiro Wada and Masahiko Morino playing at a high level, and watched their pitching staff round into form.
The result has been a 18-8-1 record since Aug. 17 (11-2-1 in September) and a real shot at going from third-place afterthought to Central League champion.