First baseman Derrek Lee has battled neck spasms since late April, and they can flare at any time, although the Cubs reported Monday that Lee?s condition has improved significantly and that Sunday?s MRI showed no further cause for concern.

On other fronts, the seemingly able-bodied bullpen has been a combustible lot, having allowed 81 hits and 64 walks in 90 innings pitched.

It looks like the Cubs ? season is at a crossroads. Despite all the problems, they have a record of 17-14, which puts them just 2 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. They?re definitely in the race.

On the other hand, if some key players don?t start picking it up, the season could well turn into a long one.

So the going is tough, for sure. And these four players will have to show some toughness and get going from here on out:

Geovany Soto: The reigning Rookie of the Year in the National League is redefining the term "sophomore jinx."

Soto was 3-for-17 on the recent road trip, and his batting average is .169. He has no home runs, 4 RBI, an on-base percentage of .297 and a slugging percentage of .195. Soto?s last home run came Sept. 18, 2008.

On May 12 last year, Soto was batting .315 with 6 homers and 26 RBI.

"He?s been doing a really nice job behind the plate calling the game," Piniella said. "He?s been doing a nice job blocking pitches. He?s showing some leadership, which is good.

"We just need his bat to come alive."

Milton Bradley: Although Bradley is batting just .179 with 3 homers, 6 RBI, an OBP of .321 and a slugging percentage of .328, he might be ready to heat up.

"Just stay the course," Bradley said. "I?ve never really struggled this bad, so I didn?t know how to really react to it. I had a good talk with Lou and a good talk with Gerald (hitting coach Perry).

"You know you can hit. Just find a way to take the pressure off yourself and be comfortable.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I think I did start putting pressure the more and more at-bats I wasn?t getting hits. I was able to relax a little bit on the road and deal with it."

Bradley said he?s starting to feel more comfortable at the plate. He has hit safely in eight of his last nine starts.

"I feel like a hitter up there now," he said. "Every now and then you?re going to run into a pitcher you?ve never seen and (he?ll) trick you with some pitches.

"For the most part I?m going to go up there against a guy, and I?m comfortable and seeing the ball well."

Piniella said he believes Bradley is "starting to take better at-bats, better passes at the ball."

Aaron Heilman and Neal Cotts: Piniella can?t run Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg out to the mound every day, so that means the middle men are going to have to pick up some slack.

Heilman had been the Cubs ? most dependable reliever, with an 0.82 ERA before he gave up 3 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) on April 30.

That began a stretch of five games in which Heilman has given up 5 hits and 5 walks over 4 innings. He has an ERA of 18.00 in that time and a WHIP (walks plus hits per 1 inning pitched) of 2.50.

Cotts, the lone lefty in the pen, has yet to get on track. He has a record of 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a feverish WHIP of 2.55, fueled by 9 hits and 8 walks in 6? innings.

Piniella has threatened to shake up the bullpen ? he will need to consult with general manager Jim Hendry on that ? but he has the option with Monday?s off-day and another next Monday to use righty Randy Wells in the pen along with Angel Guzman, who worked the sixth and seventh innings Sunday and didn?t give up anything.

The main lefty reliever at Class AAA Iowa is Jason Waddell, a nonroster invitee to spring training. He has no major-league experience.

"I?m not immune from bringing up some young kids with good arms and see what they can do," Piniella said.