What to watch for in Chicago Cubs' second half

We won't ponder the meaning of life here, but we will ponder the meaning of the Cubs playing meaningful games this late in the baseball season.

The unofficial second half gets under way for the Cubs this weekend in Atlanta, and for the first time since 2009, the Cubs are in the playoff picture after the all-star break, with a record of 47-40.

They're third in the National League Central behind the Cardinals and the surging Pirates, but they hold a 1-game lead over the Mets and 2 over the Giants for the second wild-card spot.

The immediate schedule looks favorable. Upcoming opponents - the Braves, Reds, Phillies, Rockies and Brewers - are under .500. So it would appear to be a good chance for the Cubs to make some hay under the summer sun.

But this is uncharted territory, and this is a young bunch of Cubs. Here are some things to watch over the final 2½ months of the regular season.

The Schwarber watch:

The Cubs will recall catcher Kyle Schwarber on Friday to replace Miguel Montero on the roster. Montero will go on the disabled list with a left-thumb injury. He will see a hand specialist and is expected to be out for more than the 15 days of the disabled-list stint.

It will be interesting to see how much the Cubs use Schwarber behind the plate this time around. They still have veteran catchers David Ross and Taylor Teagarden on the roster. Both are accomplished receivers. Schwarber, the Cubs' first-round draft pick last year, lacks experience behind the plate, but he had one of the best bats in the minor leagues. He also won MVP honors at last Sunday's Futures Game at Cincinnati.

It's possible the Cubs will put Schwarber into left field for some games.

The Cubs also will need a designated hitter for their three games against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field next month.

Schwarber filled that role in interleague games in the first half. It's a good bet Schwarber will come up for the three games against the Sox at the hitter-friendly Cell. Even if Schwarber does go back down to Class AAA Iowa, he's likely to be a September call-up.

Also for September, the Cubs could call up prospect Carl Edwards Jr. (formerly known as C.J. Edwards) to help out a bullpen that has righted itself but one that by Labor Day could use some reinforcement.

The trading deadline:

The July 31 nonwaiver deadline is almost here. It's a sellers market, and for the first time in years, the Cubs are buyers.

A big splash is probably not going to happen. The Cubs seem a year ahead of schedule as far as being contenders, and they've shown no appetite for selling out their future to go for it now, especially after nearly four years of a painstaking rebuild under team president Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and scouting/development chief Jason McLeod.

But the organization does have a good number of serviceable prospects it can move for a decent starting pitcher.

Would they consider moving a former No. 1 draft pick such as Albert Almora or players such as Junior Lake, Arismendy Alcantara or Dan Vogelbach to get, say, Jeff Samardzija, from the White Sox?

The Cubs are balancing the idea of getting into the playoffs and going deep with the notion that the wild-card playoff is only one game.

"Look at last year's World Series," Hoyer said. "You have to get in to have a chance to do that. You wish you had a five-game series to do it. Last year, the Giants went on the road in that one-game playoff and ended up winning the World Series.

"Just because it's one game doesn't make it less valuable. Sometimes there's only one path through. The way the Cardinals are playing this year, that might be the case."

Some balance, please:

All-stars Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant have accounted for much of the Cubs' offense, and Bryant is 8-for-34 (.235) over his last 10 games.

Shortstop Starlin Castro endured a poor first half offensively, and Dexter Fowler has been a disappointment in the leadoff spot. Another young player, right fielder Jorge Soler, was hampered by an ankle injury, and the Cubs need for him to get going, too.

"I really want to see the guys spread it out," manager Joe Maddon said of the offensive attack. "We need to spread it out. KB's not going to be there every night. The old thing about a different bus driver every night, I kind of love that, a different guy driving the bus.

"When a team's going good, I always talk about that. There's a different hero. That's the kind of stuff you're looking for because you don't want to lay it on just one guy or two guys, especially that inexperienced. For us to really get this thing going, we've got to spread it out."

Cubs scouting report

Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves at Turner Field

TV: Comcast SportsNet today; ABC 7 Saturday; WGN Sunday

Radio: WBBM 780-AM

Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Kyle Hendricks (4-4) vs. Julio Teheran (6-4) today at 6:35 p.m.; Jon Lester (4-8) vs. Manny Banuelos (1-0) Saturday at 6:10 p.m.; Jake Arrieta (10-5) vs. Shelby Miller (5-5) Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

At a glance: The Cubs (47-40) open the post-all-star portion of their season with a seven-game road trip. They'll play four next week at Cincinnati, including a day-night doubleheader. The Braves (42-47) are on the fringes of playoff contention after finishing the unofficial first half on a five-game losing streak. At home, they're 23-17. Freddie Freeman leads the Braves in batting average (.299) and home runs (12), while Nick Markakis leads in hits (98) and on-base percentage (.381). Sunday's starting pitcher, Miller, made the all-star team but did not pitch in the game. The Cubs are in the early stages of a stretch in which they play 20 straight games against teams with sub-.500 records.

Next: Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, Monday-Wednesday

- Bruce Miles