Back to business for Cubs

Everybody knows there are two seasons in Chicago: winter and road construction.

With that in mind, the Cubs look to have a clear lane to the title in the National League Central as they reopen play tonight against the Astros in Houston.

But there are a few potholes, orange flags and potential tie-ups along the way that could prevent the Cubs from repeating as Central champions. With the best record in the NL and the wild card looking like it's going to come out of the Central, the numbers are working in the Cubs' favor.

Here are a few things that could cause trouble.

The schedule: Anybody who has driven I-294 lately knows that road is a mess, and the Cubs will hit the tollway twice on their way to Milwaukee.

The Cubs are 2-4 against the third-place Brewers, with all the games having been played at Wrigley Field. The acquisition of lefty CC Sabathia makes the Brewers the favorites over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals to win the wild card or even catch the Cubs.

The Cubs and Brewers meet at Miller Park for four, beginning July 28. The schedule could get dicey for the Cubs in September, with the Brewers coming to Chicago on Sept. 16-18. The Cubs have a potentially tough final week, with four in New York against the now-surging Mets and three to close out the season at Miller Park.

The Cardinals come to Wrigley Field once in August and once in September, with the Cubs going back to Busch Stadium on Sept. 9-11.

Injuries: The Cubs have done pretty well without left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who probably will take batting practice with the team this weekend before heading out on a quick minor-league rehab stint.

The Cubs expect Soriano back by Thursday.

Ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano had a minor blip with his shoulder, and center fielder Jim Edmonds has been slowed by a bad foot.

An injury to a starting pitcher or to catcher Geovany Soto could spell big trouble.

The bullpen: The good news for the Cubs is that embattled setup man Carlos Marmol looked pretty good against the American League in the All-Star Game. That could do wonders for his confidence.

The Cubs need Marmol to be effective down the stretch, and that means manager Lou Piniella might have to be told to back off Marmol when the Cubs are in blowout games.

When lefty Scott Eyre returns is anybody's guess. Eyre made a poor first impression on Piniella last season, and history tells us bad first impressions are tough to erase from Piniella's mind.

Neal Cotts and erstwhile starter Sean Marshall are the lefties in the pen right. Cotts has some interesting numbers. Against right-handed batters, he has a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.15, and righties have an on-base percentage of only .286 against him. Against lefties, Cotts has a WHIP of 1.91, and left-handed batters have an OBP of .412 against him.

In other words, Cotts doesn't appear to be your typical situational lefty, which means the Cubs may need Eyre to have a big second half, as he did last year.

General manager Jim Hendry has dealt for one reliever, getting righty Chad Gaudin from Oakland in the Rich Harden trade. If the Colorado Rockies are serious about moving lefty Brian Fuentes, Hendry may listen.

The Cubs will take a look at Kerry Wood's index finger to see if the blister that kept their closer out of the All-Star Game still is causing problems.

The fatigue factor: The Cubs open with 20 games without an off-day. Fortunately for them, the first two series are in climate-controlled domes (Houston and Arizona).

Shortstop Ryan Theriot faded badly down the stretch last year, so look for Piniella to give him a rest now and then.

The Cubs need Theriot. He's sixth in the NL in OBP at .396, confounding all the so-called experts. You can forget about rumors that have the Cubs "interested in" San Diego Padres shortstop Khalil Greene. Cubs people say it's not true at all.

The all-star break probably did first baseman Derrek Lee some good, and Piniella will have to keep Soto fresh by playing Henry Blanco on day games after night games.

Once Soriano comes back, the Cubs will be able to rotate Reed Johnson between center and left to give Edmonds and Soriano an occasional break.

Mark DeRosa plays almost every day and can play seven positions, and sometimes it's easy to forget he needs a day off, too.

Right fielder Kosuke Fukudome is 7-for-42 (. 167) this month with an alarmingly low OBP of .222 and only 3 walks after leading an on-base revolution for the Cubs over the first three months.

In other words, it's full speed ahead for the Cubs in the unofficial second half. But the "proceed with caution" sign is lit, too.