I still don't know if Bader really puts them over the top, though he certainly does if he keeps hitting the way he has. And the current bullpen is going to win more games when they have trouble scoring, and the defense helps in those type of games too.
What's unexpected is that Kepler is also a key piece now. While it starts with Bader being handed the full-time job finally, Kepler is the one who actually platoons with Nick, and he's run with the role in August (.789 OPS) and September (.844 so far).